Dodgers sign Cole Hamels to major league deal, per report

The Dodgers have signed veteran left-hander Cole Hamels to a major league deal for the rest of the season, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first reported Wednesday. Hamels will earn a guaranteed $1 million plus $200,000 for each start he makes for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers hope Hamels, 37, can boost a rotation that has been decimated by the losses of Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, and Tony Gonsolin to injuries and Trevor Bauer due to his role in an ongoing sexual assault investigation. Of course, the four-time All-Star is far from a guarantee to work out — he threw just 3.1 innings for the Braves last year, hasn’t pitched competitively at all in 2021, and will need to continue getting stretched out before he joins the Dodgers.

Los Angeles’ front office is putting a fair amount of effort into making sure the rotation is a strength in late August and September, though. They also acquired longtime Royals left-hander Danny Duffy prior to the trade deadline and hope he’ll be able to help out once he returns from a flexor strain that has sidelined him since July 3.

Hamels, who debuted in 2006, has a 3.43 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over 423 career games spanning 15 seasons. He’s pitched in 17 postseason games, winning the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2008 as the Phillies won the title, and he’s been effective in the not-too-distant past. Hamels posted a 3.81 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP for the Cubs over 27 starts in 2019, his last full season.