Cole Hamels trade doesn’t happen without Carlos Martinez

The St. Louis Cardinals have been rumored to be connected with the Philadelphia Phillies for left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels.

However, it was revealed yesterday by USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale that while the Phillies may be shopping Hamels, they would not consider the Cardinals as a trade partner without Carlos Martinez being involved in any kind of a deal.

The Phillies can’t be blamed for coveting Martinez. After all, the third-year Cardinal pitcher is being compared to that of Pedro Martinez. While his Minor League numbers haven’t translated just yet to the Major League level, there is hope that Yadier Molina will offer some guidance this spring.

Hamels wants to play for a contender and nobody can blame him for that. The attraction to the Cardinals is that his wife grew up near St. Louis. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has been very clear with regards to Martinez in that the pitcher is not available to other teams.

The Phillies had an interest in both Martinez and outfielder Peter Bourjos according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch but nothing has happened on that front.

Something could happen this season and require the Cardinals to shift their focus but for now, Martinez is expected to remain with the Cardinals. In the meantime, all Cardinals Nation can hope for is that Martinez is able to elevate his game to the next level. There’s a reason why he is being compared to Pedro. His stats in the Minor Leagues speak for itself but those numbers just aren’t being replicated with St. Louis.

While I may not be 100% sold on Martinez, I’m not about to just trade him away to another team just yet. If he’s not successful as a starter during the first half of the 2015 season, the Cardinals have enough pieces to where they can switch somebody into the starting position.