Report: Phillies shopping Cole Hamels

The MLB trade market just got a jolt. After months of back-and-forth negotiations, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies have begun to look into trading their home-grown ace.

#phillies have begun calling to see about trade interest in Cole Hamels. story to come on @CBSSports—
Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 01, 2012

possible #phillies are only gauging early interest in hamels, just in case. but w/ their calls, trade chance seems real now—
Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 01, 2012

The Phillies and Hamels have been locked in negotiations over a contract extension for some time now, but the Phillies are in the unenviable position of already having one of the highest payrolls in baseball. Without a new contract, Hamels can leave the Phillies at the end of the season with no compensation going to the team.

If an agreement on a contract extension cannot be reached, the Phillies will need to deal Hamels before the MLB’s July 31 trade deadline. Judging by the tweeted news above, it seems the Phillies have given themselves 30 days to work something out.