MLB News: Cole Hamels Demanding Trade To A Contender

Cole Hamels is reiterating his want to play for a playoff contender in Major League Baseball, or MLB and with the Philadelphia Phillies in rebuilding mode, his latest statements about his status with the team is looking more like a trade demand.

"I want to be in the playoffs every year. That's where you make a name for yourself. It's not about the Cy Young awards and MVP awards. It's about winning championships. You want to be in a place where you have a chance to win,” the star pitcher said to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports on Thursday. "I wanted to see where I was going to spend my next four years. Now that I'm here, I plan on being here for the next six weeks. I think it would be pretty chaotic if that's not the case. But it's out of my control. All I can do is get ready this spring, be ready for opening day, and be prepared for the long season.''

However, the Phillies are far from being a contender in the upcoming season as seen in their previous years’ results. After making the playoffs in 2011, the Philadelphia franchise has missed the MLB postseason three straight years from 2012 to 2014. The past two years have been a struggle as they had a losing record of 73-89 in each for back-to-back disappointing finishes. Hamels has been with the squad since 2006 and the 31 year old is now saying that he just wants to win and demanding a trade.

According to reports, Hamel’s trade demand has gotten the attention of as many as eight MLB teams which has shown interest in acquiring the star pitcher. Four of those squads, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs, have sent in their offers to Philadelphia. Hamels is a three-time MLB All Star making the elite team in 2007, 2011 and 2012. Hamels won the Babe Ruth Award in 2008 and also won the World Series and World Series Most Valuable Player award that year. Hamels has a career win-loss record of 108-83 with 3.27 ERA and 1,707 strikeouts.

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