Rozner: Cubs, Hamels should find common ground on deal for 2019

Sometimes when a player walks into a clubhouse, the room is a better place because of it.

There is no metric for it, but there is little doubt Cole Hamels is one of those guys.

"Cole was such a breath of fresh air for us," said Cubs president Theo Epstein. "He made an unbelievable impression. For a guy who's only been here for a couple months, he's as universally respected in that room as anyone I've ever seen."

So you'd like to find a way to have Hamels back in 2019?

"Absolutely," Epstein said. "He's a pro's pro and contributed tremendously on the field and off the field. He was a great, engaged, accountable, positive presence in that clubhouse, someone who really cares about his teammates and helps make them better by example and by discussion.

"We'd love to have him be part of the mix going forward."

The Cubs won't be excited about his $20 million option for next season, but with the Rangers paying his $6 million buyout, the Cubs will hope Hamels would come back for something less, perhaps in the $13 million range.

"We haven't gotten to that level of detail in our postseason planning," Epstein said of how much room the Cubs will have to maneuver this winter. "This is the time of year when you kind of engage on that and figure out exactly what you have left.

"We've spent a lot of money on players and that's not always the answer, to rush back out and spend more. That said, there's obviously a lot of attractive and impact players out there. We'll get together and figure what's possible and what's not possible."

Hamels will be 35 come spring training, but in two months and 12 starts with the Cubs he pitched to a 2.6 WAR, behind only Jon Lester (3.3) and Kyle Hendricks (3.0), who were here all season.

With a 2.36 ERA and WHIP of 1.17, Hamels looked reinvigorated with the Cubs, who know full well of Hamels' postseason pedigree, which includes 100 innings in 17 postseason games and MVP awards for the 2008 NLCS and World Series.

"When I got here, I saw the similarities to Philadelphia right away," Hamels said. "You definitely could put the teams I was fortunate to play on in Philadelphia up with this team.

"We have the big hitters. We have the tremendous defense. We have the big-game pitchers and that's what it takes to win. That's the excitement, to be a part of that."

Hamels said "we" often in discussing his desire to return to the North Side and make another run at a ring.

"I would love to be here," Hamels said. "This is a tremendous environment to play baseball in. This clubhouse, this is awesome be a part of.

"As much as I was only able to get two months with them, it would be a joy to be able to do it from spring training on and the rest of the year with the ultimate goal of winning the World Series here."

With the uncertainty of Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood, bringing back Hamels to join Lester, Hendricks and Jose Quintana in the rotation would give the Cubs some comfort if they could get it done before November free agency.

"The Cubs have always been one of the top teams I wanted to play for," Hamels said. "It didn't happen in 2015. I was fortunate to go to Texas, but the Cubs were always a team I welcomed being a part of, to play in front of these fans and for this organization.

"It's a tremendous clubhouse with tremendous talent and it was great to be able to toe the rubber and have these guys behind me."

Even with all the Cubs players who have experience in the toughest of moments, with so many who survived Game 7 in Cleveland, it doesn't hurt to add - or keep - players who are unafraid of the big stage.

"The ultimate goal is winning a World Series," Hamels said. "If you want to do that, it's not easy. You're going to have to play some tough teams at some tough moments. It's high intensity and high stakes.

"That's the reason the team that wins the World Series deserves it, because they're the ones that got through all the trials and tough games and tough breaks. They fought through and had the good result.

"There's a lot of guys here with playoff experience. They know they don't have to be the hero.

"Everybody just plays their part. If something doesn't happen, you can pick up your teammate.

"I saw a lot of that here. I would love to be a part of this next season."

The first step is mutual interest and that exists. The next step is a fair number that both sides can accept.

For the sake of that rotation, here's hoping this one happens fast.