"We have some other fish to fry right now," he said.
Of course, the longer Hamels remains unsigned, the more time there is for speculation to fly. Even with his caveat and preference to rarely comment on speculation, Amaro wanted to squash one idea suggested by a few national writers: The Phillies aren't thinking about trading Hamels.
"They're only writing it," Amaro said, "because it happened before."
Before, of course, was Cliff Lee. Amaro called that trade, made two winters ago, "a little different circumstance." Now, the Phillies are content with spending like one of the game's powers.
They have already committed $93 million to just five players for 2013, but every contract the Phillies sign is hardly done in a vacuum. The $50 million guaranteed to Jonathan Papelbon prompted some to question where Hamels fits. The Phillies, Amaro said, thought about that long before pursuing a closer.
Hamels, 27, is the youngest star on the oldest team in baseball, and that's what makes him so valuable to his current team. The Phillies have not yet engaged in formal negotiations with his agent, John Boggs. Hamels, who earned $9.5 million in 2011, has one year of arbitration remaining. He could make as much as $15 million through arbitration in 2012. His next multiyear contract will reflect his status as one of the top lefthanders in the game.
Both sides want a deal. Amaro said he has told Boggs of his plan to take care of more immediate needs before turning to negotiations for Hamels.
"Cole is homegrown," Amaro said. "He's a guy we would like to keep. We're not up against it right now. We have time to deal with it. Cole is a priority, but we have time to deal with it."
Sure, anything can happen. No one expected Lee to be traded after 2009. Amaro, in retrospect, said it was a mistake. He rectified it by re-signing Lee for $120 million one year later.
