Dodgers: Cole Hamels’ LA career ends with whimper after sudden setback

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had to watch their starting pitchers drop like flies over the last few weeks, so the decision to add a veteran with playoff and championship experience in Cole Hamels to the back end of the rotation made a ton of sense despite the 37-year-old not having pitched a single MLB inning this season.

The former Philadelphia Phillies star might’ve only pitched three innings with the Braves last year, but he did have a 3.79 ERA during his 2018 and 2019 seasons that were split between the Rangers and Cubs, so his quality is still evident.

All LA needed from him was to eat innings and hold down the fort until the stars came back.

Unfortunately, that plan has fallen at the first hurdle.

Not only will a former LA trade target in Hamels not make his Dodger blue debut this season, and not only will Andrew Friedman be on the hook for a significant chunk of change, but the team will have to look elsewhere for starting pitching amid their parade of injuries.

Hamels’ repeated arm pain has resurfaced once again, and this injury will keep him out for the remainder of the season, per Bob Nightengale. The Dodgers essentially lit $1 million on fire due to the fact that Hamels won’t throw one pitch for Los Angeles this season.

The Dodgers won’t get to start Cole Hamels.

Clayton Kershaw is still on the 60-day IL, and recent injuries to the likes of Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin have taken the Dodgers from a team with too much starting pitching to a squad trying to piece a rotation together. The Danny Duffy injury couldn’t have come at a worse time — but, then again, they didn’t need to acquire him while on the shelf. That, too, was preventable.

Hamels could’ve been an ideal short-term fix, but injuries prevented the fit from materializing.

The Dodgers have acted swiftly to replace Hamels, as they promoted top pitching prospect Andre Jackson. While fans are right to be excited about his debut, what is inarguable is the fact that Hamels could’ve been a more known commodity in the rotation as they push forward towards the postseason.

As tough as it may be to say, one has to wonder if we’ve seen the last of Hamels in the major leagues. With his age and injury history, it may be tough for a team to sign him to a contract and have any degree of confidence in him.

Through no fault of his own, the Hamels signing has become a failure for both sides involved. As the Dodgers look elsewhere to plug their holes, we can only hope that Hamels is able to return to full health elsewhere, as this would be a lousy end to his MLB career.

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