Cole Hamels has been mentioned in several trade talks over the past several weeks, but the Philadelphia Phillies intend to keep the veteran pitcher unless offered an attractive trade package.

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies are not looking forward to parting ways with Phillies, but they could eventually decide to deal the left hander if a trade partner expresses interest in giving up four top prospects in the deal.

"The Phillies will want an acquiring team to surrender three or four top prospects and assume the $96 million owed to Hamels. They are in no way motivated to trade the 30-year-old pitcher," Gelb wrote.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said in an interview that their main priority is to turn things around quickly, and he knows that keeping their top pitchers is necessary in order to achieve their goal.

"For me the idea is to try to turn it around rather quickly," Sandberg said. "You have to have starting pitching to do that and he'd be a big piece."

Sandberg admitted that Hamels, who is 6-6 this season with a 2.44 ERA with 149 strikeouts, is a vital part of their rotations, considering the uncertainty surrounding Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett's future in Philadelphia.

Lee is currently bothered by a strained left elbow, while Burnett holds a $12.75 million player option for next season, and Sandberg is unsure whether or not the 37-year-old will opt to stay for another year in Philadelphia.

"He'd be a tough one to replace," Sandberg said of Hamels. "He'd be tough to replace. We have question marks about Cliff [Lee]. Cliff, we won't know. A.J. [Burnett], we don't know. You have to start your staff somewhere and he'd be a good place to start."

Hamels recently expressed strong interest in staying in Philadelphia, but the 30-year-old reiterated that he will have no hard feelings in case the Phillies decide to move him to another team.

"I just want to play as long as I possibly can and if I'm able to play it in a Phillies uniform, then my family and I are going to be ecstatic," Hamels said via CBS Philadelphia. "We are going to be the happiest we could possibly be, because we do, we enjoy it here-but at the same time, I know how business goes."

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