Rozner: Chicago Cubs have nothing to lose with Hamels
It's pretty simple, really.
The Chicago Cubs were staring into the postseason abyss with a starting rotation far less a Tesla and more the car you had in college, the one with a 50 percent chance of firing when you turned the key and a 30 percent chance of getting you to your destination while traversing a country road in winter.
Not a good feeling.
That's why Cole Hamels is a Chicago Cub today.
After Jon Lester - your Game 1 playoff starter - the Cubs have no idea what's happening with the rest of the rotation.
Yu Darvish is a mystery. Kyle Hendricks hasn't been consistently good. Jose Quintana is mediocre. And Tyler Chatwood has been appropriately demoted to the bullpen.
Mike Montgomery? Drew Smyly? The starter to be named later? Well, that's Hamels, the acquisition that shouldn't have been necessary but became so because of an underachieving and expensive rotation.
The Cubs didn't have the arsenal to pull off a huge trade, so they used Eddie Butler and a couple of low-level prospects to grab a man who has a huge postseason track record with 16 starts and a World Series MVP.
What's certain is Hamels won't be afraid. What's uncertain is what he has left in the tank.
Lightning in a bottle? The Cubs would settle for a lightning bug in a Mason jar.
Little risk, potentially high reward.
The Cubs probably weren't thinking of a Justin Verlander type of resurgence as much as they were thinking they need someone to take the ball and give the bullpen some much-needed rest, and Hamels has the potential to do that.
And who knows? Maybe a pennant race will help remind Hamels of who he once was, and might be again.
It has happened before to veteran players dealt in late July.
Perhaps the National League will help. Maybe his solid road splits will translate away from his former home park in Texas. Maybe it won't be very good at all.
But it can't be worse than the awful 5-inning starts - sometimes worse - the Cubs have been getting from most of their rotation for most of this season.
"We were one injury away from being in a really tough spot with some of the injuries we've had and some of the struggles we've had," said Cubs president Theo Epstein. "We felt it would be irresponsible not to add at least one starting pitcher.
"It was a priority because it's something that's really hard to address after July 31."
The truth is they had nothing to lose, which isn't quite where you want to be in late July as you ponder October, but it's the reality of where they are right now.
So they took a shot with Hamels, who could find himself near the top of the rotation in October if he pitches well down the stretch.
"Sometimes you have to take a little bit of an educated gamble on a guy and look past the recent performance," Epstein said. "But his stuff is still there.
"Proven excellent starter in this league for a long time, been through the wars, type of guy who could be rejuvenated in a pennant race.
"He's thrilled to have this opportunity and we're thrilled to have him."
You can see why Hamels is thrilled about going from last to first, and you can see why Joe Maddon would be thrilled to have a World Series MVP joining a rotation that probably costs him a great deal of sleep.
As for what the Cubs will get from Hamels, the easiest answer is it can't be any worse than what they've grown accustomed to this season from their starters.
And maybe it will be a whole lot better than that.
brozner@dailyherald.com
• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.