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Cole Hamels Sends Message to Phillies' Front Office After Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated May 14, 2025 1:15 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies made an at-the-time underrated move during the offseason leading up to the 2025 MLB season. The Phillies traded top prospects Emaarion Body and Starlyn Caba to the Miami Marlins for Paul McIntosh and starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo.

Luzardo has been off to a strong start for his new team in the Phillies, pitching like one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Phillies are no strangers to great pitching, and one of the greatest pitchers in Phillies history was recently asked about Luzardo's impact on the Phillies.

During a segment on Sports Radio 94 WIP's Midday show, Phillies legend Cole Hamels made an appearance and answered a question about the emergence of Luzardo as a top-flight starter.

"You have to really give credit to the front office for being able to follow him, his whole career, and just waiting to pounce... He was waiting to break out."

Luzardo had been on two teams prior to being a member of the Phillies. He was on the Athletics and the Marlins, both teams that were not consistently competing for postseason berths.

Hamels continued his praise of the front office and Luzardo by explaining what that lack of competition can do.

"It was tough in Miami, there wasn't the expectation that they were going to win, so to get to a bigger market big city that has all those expectations... He's now excelling, and you're seeing the type of player that he has probably has always been... and now he's lights out, and it's really great to watch."

Joining the Phillies, a team looking to win the World Series, was a great landing spot for Luzardo. After toiling away on teams that were near the bottom of the league for the six years before joining the Phillies, Luzardo is finally on a team competing for a championship.

Hamels praised the front office for not only trading for Luzardo but also keeping their eye on him and waiting for a chance to pounce on him. Luzardo has been everything the Phillies have hoped he'd be, and more.

In the eight starts for the Phillies in 2025, Luzardo has a 2.11 ERA and a National League-leading 2.1 WAR as a pitcher. Luzardo has pitched 47 innings, allowing a 1.213 WHIP while walking 13 and striking out 51 batters.

His numbers to begin the year have been incredible, and he's been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball so far. Luzardo has the 11th-best ERA in baseball and has the 25th most strikeouts as well.

Hamel's praise of the front office after their decision to trade for Luzardo is warranted. Luzardo has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, and the Phillies' decision to trade for him has been instrumental in the Phillies' solid start to 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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