12 teams are currently in on free agent righty Jason Hammel, MLBTR has learned. Though he has yet to receive an offer, teams have discussed one-year concepts so far. There is a sense that three guaranteed years would garner serious consideration, but one year could be preferable to two.
Essentially, Hammel could be on the Scott Feldman plan. Feldman took a one-year, $6MM deal from the Cubs in November of 2012, pitched well and was traded midseason, and recently landed a three-year, $30MM deal from the Astros. The Astros still seem a logical fit for Hammel this winter even after signing Feldman, while the Indians have recently been connected.
Hammel, 31, scuffled in 2013 after a strong but abbreviated 2012 campaign for Baltimore. He earned the Orioles' Opening Day nod this year, but hit the DL in late July with inflammation in his ulnar nerve. After a cortisone injection, he returned in September, spending some time in the bullpen. Overall, he pitched to a 4.97 ERA in 139 1/3 frames, seeing his strikeout and groundball rates dip while his walk and home run rates spiked.
