All over Twitter, Facebook, the internet and sports radio, I hear people complaining about the Phillies lack of big off-season signings.

And I completely get it.  I really do.

I would have loved for the Phillies to sign Josh Hamilton and I actually thought it was going to happen. (Though I am glad that Philly didn’t give him 5 years.)

I didn’t want to see Michael Bourn or BJ Upton in Phillies uniform, so I’m not upset at those non-moves at all.  But they are big names and the fanbase has gotten use to big names signing in Philly

The moves that they did make were not flashy, bold moves.  As a matter of fact, the were quiet no-name moves.  Moves that could pay out huge.

Revere’s Twitter profile (@BenRevere9)

I particular love the Ben Revere trade.  I like Vance Worley and Trevor May and I wish both of them all the best with the Twins organization, but the Phillies have a handful of young pitchers that should be ready by next season.

What the Phillies farm system lacks is quality position players.

Revere is just that.  A quality, young position player.  He will not bring the Phillies pop, but he will get on base.  And then wreck havoc on the bases once he is there.  He possesses all the tools to become a nightmare to opposing pitchers and just what any teams needs at the top of the line-up.n

I understand the Michael Young trade.  The Phillies didn’t give up all that much for him and now that question mark is settled for the next season.  If his development continues the way that it has last year or so, then Cody Asche is perfectly set up to take over at 3rd base in 2014.

I love the Mike Adams signing.  Quality 8th inning set-up guy to complement the young guys and Jonathan Papelbon.

And John Lannan is going to compete with Kyle Kendrick as my least favorite pitcher.  (I’m just going to start referring to KK as LFR (least favorite righty) and Lannan as LFL (least favorite lefty), since they are the same pitcher.)

Most of the moves, while actually solid, were not big and flashy.  But what most of Philadelphia forgot was that the big off-season splash was made back at the end of July.

Does the name Cole Hamels ring a bell?  Does a 6 year / $144 million contract mean anything?

Because it does to me.

It is kind of a let down not to be having a new big name under the tree.  But the Phillies spent a lot of money to keep the big name that they already have in Red Pinstripes for possibly his entire career.

The more that the off-season drags on, the happier I am about the Christmas in July present the Phillies front office gave the fans.

Contracts this year have been astronomical.

Let’s start with Joe Blanton receiving a 2 year/ $15 million contract.  Edwin Jackson is currently working on securing a 4 yr / $52 million contract.

But they not the ones that I want to base anything off of.  Let’s look at Zack Grienke’s numbers compared to Cole Hamels:

Fangraphs.com (Click to enlarge)

I like Zack Grienke.  He’s a soft #1 or a strong #2 starting pitcher.  His career numbers are solid and he deservedly won the AL Cy Young award in 2009.

However, Cole Hamels’ career numbers are better.  He has more strike-outs in less innings pitched, half the number of wild pitches and HBP all with a half-run lower ERA.

The only category that can go to  Greinke over Hamels is home-runs.  Hamels does have a tendency to catch a little too much of the plate.

I do not believe that I am wrong in these comparisons, n0r am I the only one to think this.

Before Cole Hamels hit free agency, he signed a 6 year extension.  Before he found out how much he was worth on the open market, he agreed to a $144 million contract.

Zack Grienke decided that he wanted to see what the market would pay for his services: the answer is a lot.   The Dodgers agreed to pay him $158 million over 6 years.   That’s a lot of money.  It also makes him the highest paid Right-handed Starting Pitcher in baseball history.

Imagine for what a second that Hamels could have brought in.  He might have easily commanded well over $160 million., and teams would have been lining up to pay for his services.

So when Phillies fans complain about not picking any big name up, I am going to respond with “Cole Hamels.”  Because, the truth of the matter is that the Philly Faithful were given a Christmas present, it just came in July and not December.

Photo Credit BJ Wilson

Karilee Jeantet is Lead Contributor for A View From Section 116.  Follow her on Twitter @kjeantet and @viewfromsec116 and e-mail her AViewFromSection116@gmail.com.