Atlanta Braves sign veteran lefty Cole Hamels for 1 year, $18M

The Atlanta Braves keep the hot stove burning with yet another free agent signing.

Indeed, the Atlanta Braves have signed Cole… Hamels to a 1 year $18M deal for the 2020 season.

Yes, I’m aware that might not be the Cole some were hoping for, but this signing could clearly pay dividends if it goes well for both the Atlanta Braves and Cole Hamels.

Hamels might not be the pitcher he was when he tormented the Braves regularly about a decade or so ago, but even at the age of soon to be 36, he still was a highly above average pitcher for the Chicago Cubs last season.

In 2019, Hamels pitched to a 3.81 ERA and was able to average just north of 1 strikeout per inning.

The only slight nudge on his numbers was the fact he walked 56 hitters in 141.2 innings pitched. However, throughout his career, he has been known to give out a few free passes.

Hamels did miss the entire month of July last season with an oblique strain, and his numbers did rise up after returning from the injury. That would obviously lead to the question of did he come back too early.

After his June 28th start against the Reds, Hamels actually had an ERA south of 3.00.

As we said earlier, the Braves ended up guaranteeing Hamels $18M. That roughly puts the budget around the $135M mark and no one really knows what the hard budget is for the Braves, so it will be interesting to see what moves are made next.

Also of note, this may not take the Atlanta Braves out of the Madison Bumgarner sweepstakes, but it is sure hard to see a fit at this point.

While some may not like this signing over potentially signing Madison Bumgarner, I for one do.

Considering the fact that Bumgarner’s ERA on the road last year was over 5.00 and the fact he hasn’t been the same since his latest injury.

The bottom line is after years of tormenting us (including starting a no-hitter) Cole Hamels will now come to Atlanta and hopefully become a 5-time All-Star and lead us to a World Championship.

If nothing else, the Atlanta Braves are keeping us on our toes with all of these free agent signings.

Let us know in the comments below if you like this signing for the Atlanta Braves or not.