Cubs starter Jason Hammel struggled during his outing in a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday, yielding three earned runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings, but the right-hander was upset with manager Joe Maddon for pulling him so early. As a result, Hammel and Maddon had a closed-door meeting after the game, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I didn’t even pitch today in my mind. I barely threw 40 pitches,” said Hammel, who tossed 39 pitches and was a victim of a quick hook at times last year. “It was a side day for me pretty much.”
Maddon, who also managed Hammel in Tampa Bay, stated after the meeting, “Of course he didn’t like what I told him, but I had to tell him. He was not happy with me taking him out that early.”
Saturday’s start was the second poor one in a row for Hammel, who allowed 10 runs (six earned) on 10 hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings of an 11-4 loss to the Rockies last Sunday. Hammel had previously gone three straight starts (20 innings) without giving up a run, though, and has produced quality results for the Cubs this season. The 33-year-old has compiled a 3.21 ERA, 7.52 K/9, 2.88 BB/9 and 44 percent ground-ball rate in 137 2/3 frames, but his future in Chicago doesn’t seem secure, as Wittenmyer notes.
The Cubs have four strong bets to occupy rotation spots next season in Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and John Lackey, and recent acquisition Mike Montgomery could jockey for position behind them.
Regarding Montgomery, Maddon said Friday (via Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago), “I think he is a major league starter, regardless of what happens tonight. This guy has the ability to be a solid major-league starter based on his strength level, his delivery, the variety of pitches that he throws. The strike-throwing ability is exceptional. He’s got all those different things going on.”
Montgomery ended up surrendering three earned runs, six hits and four walks against five strikeouts Friday, so it was merely a mediocre performance. Nevertheless, he seems to have Maddon’s confidence, and the lefty’s presence could help push Hammel out of Chicago after the season.
Hammel will not reach the 200-inning mark necessary for his $12MM option for 2017 to automatically vest. Thus, it will become a club option and leave the Cubs to decide after the season whether to exercise it or buy Hammel out for $2MM. Given that Hammel has been a more-than-capable starter in recent years, he should have trade value – particularly during a winter set to feature few appealing choices in free agency. The Cubs, therefore, could pick up Hammel’s reasonably priced option and shop him around the majors, writes Wittenmyer.
Hammel is in the midst of his second stint with the Cubs, who signed him to a one-year contract entering the 2014 season and then sent him and Jeff Samardzija to Oakland in a July deal that brought shortstop Addison Russell to Chicago. Hammel subsequently returned to the Windy City in free agency the next winter. In 417 innings with the Cubs, Hammel has logged a 3.32 ERA, 8.44 K/9 and 3.21 BB/9.
Jason is suppose to be a professional. he should realize that he had a crappy 40 pitches & that Joe Maddon knows him very well
In addition he’s Has a REAL reason he’s mad, because he won’t get that BONUS! In this particular case it’s not about winning or losing it’s about the money that’s all he cares about. In this particular case it’s not about winning or losing it’s about the money that’s all he cares about. Peter Droste Tampa
Even if he had thrown 6 or so innings he’d only barely be over 140 innings. There is no way he’d be getting 60 innings over the next 5 weeks. 200 innings was irrelevant before today’s game. I think it’s pretty clear what each side is arguing here, and there aren’t hidden agendas going on. And I’d say a closed door meeting is a professional way of going about things.
Hey Pdro….Maybe do just a touch of research into a topic before thinking you know everything. As was brought to your attention, Hammel was never going to come close to hitting his 200 inning mark, so his anger with being pulled has nothing to do with that. Also for some reason you decided to close your statement with consecutive sentences saying the exact same thing (Albeit in Broken English) worded slightly differently…
Hey jeabills, try reading through an entire comment yourself before eagerly throwing some racial insults into it. Smarter people than you would have seen he signed his name Peter, and his last two sentences weren’t worded slightly differently, they were identical. And the English was fine. He missed a comma maybe, but he’s not the one who capitalized albeit (big word though, good job!) and broken. Sheesh.
I admire him for not wanting to come out to keep competing.
With this years FA pitching market, he’s sure to earn at least $12MM no matter what though…….three runs after two and a third doesn’t warrant the hook in my opinion though
He should want to finish strong and to be honest here he is better than Lackey who in a 5 game playoff need to be a relief pitcher Hammel is are number 4 The professor is are number 2 Lester 3
Hammel has good reason to be mad, he gets pulled early even when he is doing good. It’s obvious Madden has his reason, but iv been complaining about Hammel being pulled early for weeks. Madden doesn’t pull his other starters like that. I think Madden has made Hammels situation harder than it should be.
It’s not just Hammel. Maddon has the quickest hook with Hendricks as well. And Hendricks has been the best and most consistent pitcher in the rotation (if not the NL) this year!
Hammel has had issues in the second half of the season the past two years, and while he was said to have done a lot of work in the offseason to combat it, another way to combat it is to give him a shorter leash. He isn’t CJ Edwards (a rookie) who can learn something by being made to work out of a tough inning, nor is he Arrieta or Lester, who are aces. As for Hendricks, he’s a groundball pitcher and the longer he’s out there, the more likely it is that the ball is going to start creeping higher and higher in the zone, which is only good for the hitters. I’d much rather have a manager who pulls a player too soon (in terms of what he has left in him) than one like Matheny who is always seemingly pulling his pitchers after the fact.
Bottom line is over the last 5 2/3 innings he’s given up 9 runs on 15 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Should Maddon have left him in so he can have another performance like he did against the Mets when he gave up 10 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in only 4 innings? He was facing a predominantly LHB lineup, with Zastryzny in the pen needing some work (Cubs and Maddon have shown/said numerous times they aren’t going to call someone up to sit them) and Adrian Gonzalez coming up to bat with two on and one out (I believe this was the scenario.) Hammel can be as mad as he wants, but the sooner he realizes he didn’t provide the team with the best chance to win today, the better it’ll be for himself and the Cubs.
Bad second half?? He had the lowest ERA since the ASG until the Rockies game
He’s referring to 2014 and 2015. Yes, prior to his Rockies start, he was ha find a great second half. But given the last two years, the Cubs are looking for signs that it could come crashing down like it has in the past. With Hammel, he has an issue of overthrowing when fatigued later in seasons, which leads to his fastball rising and becoming extremely hittable. If Maddon or Bosio see his early in the game, they’ll pull him.
Hammel has every right to be upset. Same as last year. Madden has a quick hook with him for some reason. He has been great except his last start and deserves some confidence. No way they don’t take his option unless they plan on getting another ace like pitcher somehow.
No way Cubs pick up Option on Hammel at 33 they need to part ways in off season
Not a chance they decline the option. In this market, he has trade value. Might they pick up the option with the intention of moving him? Yes. But simply cutting bait by declining the option is unrealistic (barring a late-season injury, of course)
I agree. For 2 million dollars?? Picking up his option is a no-brainer. That’ll give them many options, as well. If he’s still good, you just got yourself a very good starter for chump change, as 2 million in MLB is nothing.
It’s a $10 million decision actually, but I agree completely. It’s a no-brainer for sure. $10 million for a large-market MLB team isn’t particularly significant either
The best thing they could do for him is not pick up his option, he well get 3 and 50 pretty easy in the horrible class of free agent pitchers this winter, the best value would be for the cubs to sign and trade but they are not rebuilding anymore and you wouldn’t get that much in a trade straight up for hammel regardless of contract
Actually a ‘sign and trade’ (of Hammel) makes total sense. He is going to put up very solid #’s (again) for the Cubs. With the price of starting pitching being so crazy, they will get a decent return for him. As long as the Cubs get a ‘taker’ for his $12mm, there is no risk for the Cubs at all (the only way the Cubs get stuck with his contract is if (after they take the $12mm extension) he clears waivers)
Jason has a right to be upset (as mentioned by ‘Bykoric’ above, so does Hendricks). Joe makes the decisions. It’s ok for them not to agree.
$12 million for a pitcher is insanely reasonable. There is no team in baseball that wouldn’t be interested in trading for him. What they’d give up to acquire him is up for debate. But simply moving him just to move him would be no problem.
Totally understand where Hammel is coming from, but it kinda seems hard not to side with Joe here… Jason gave up 3 runs, and they lost the game 3-2, not 10-2. On a team this talented, you don’t just get to keep pitching only because you’re the starter, right? Joe gave the boys a chance to come back and win, like they did last night (and many other times this season).
Plenty of room to disagree though, it’s an interesting debate for sure.
I’ll never forgive Jason Hammel for his stint in Oakland. What a waste.
2nd half of 2014 was painful, and Hammel was a big part of it.
C’mon Cubbies stop hogging all the good pitchers and save some for the rest of us 😉 I hope Jason Hammel finds somewhere next year where he’s more than just the fifth starter.
That’s (another) downside to incentive-laden contracts. Give them a bonus for at-bats, innings pitched, etc. and it turns the player into a manager wannabe.
Well played, Joe Maddon, a fine lesson in leadership.
How bad would things be if the Cubs were 15 games out of 1st?
To everyone that says the Cubs shouldn’t keep him, He has a 3.21 ERA which is 13th in the NL, he has a .227 BAA (13th in NL), 1.14 WHIP (13th in NL), 13 wins (6th in NL) That’s pretty good when you consider there’s 58 Qualified starters in the NL
This marriage should be interesting in the playoffs. Will hammels even start?
At this point? I’d be surprised.
There’s no way Arrieta, Lester, and Hendricks don’t start (if healthy). That leaves one playoff spot for Hammels or Lackey. Hammels gave up 7 earned in 4 1/3 last year in the playoffs (and pitched horribly in doing so… 12 baserunners, 3 homers). I doubt Joe has forgotten.
Contrast that with Lackey’s post season career 8-5, 3.11 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB.
and World Series champion
Maddon is consistent about what pitchers he favors. For example he NEVER pulled Shields or Price early in Tampa. But someone like Hellickson for example he ALWAYS pulled at the EARLIEST time of a jam and it would consistently pizz off that pitcher. That pitcher often sent packing since there is “always” a surplus in TB because of the front office fetish of collecting “only” pitchers and not building a team. In Chicago Maddon is applying his same game management philosophy. Which up to today is overrated and his postseason record proves him as overrated. Should be interesting this October.
Tj sounds like you are a bitter Tampa fan otherwise you just have no clue about baseball
White people problems.
That’s all we need is for someone to turn it into a black white issue no wonder we have so many problems in race relations
Maddon last years manager of the year and everyone questioning him? Let’s trade him for all the managers with a better record than him this year. Oh wait there isn’t any. Won again with Montgomery starting and finishing with bullpen for 5 innings of no hit ball. He continues to rest starters while every other manager pitches his hammel until his arm falls off and team is worn out in playoffs. I believe when he pulled hammel the rest of game bull pen was 5 2/3 no run no hit ball with 5 k. They did their job. 2 1/3 5 hits 3 runs and hammel confused he was pulled? What magical potato chip was he going to eat to ride the ship? Maddon continues to make all the right moves to put cubs in position to win it all. Look at hammels track record after all star break. Not good .