3 potential trade destinations: Cole Hamels

As general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. proceeds to dismantle his Philadelphia Phillies, a team that hasn't managed a winning season since 2011, it appears increasingly likely that left-hander Cole Hamels will be wearing a different uniform on Opening Day.

Hamels, the 17th overall selection in the 2002 draft, enjoyed another superb season in 2014 - he fashioned a career-best 2.46 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP over 30 starts - but appears destined to play out the final four seasons of his contract elsewhere as the Phillies turn their focus towards the future.

As such, here are three potential trade destinations for the three-time All-Star:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox captured headlines during the offseason's nascent stages by signing both Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, the top two position players available in free agency, to improve a lineup that averaged just 3.91 runs per game in 2014, the third-worst mark in the American League.

As the winter meetings approached, however, general manager Ben Cherington turned his focus towards rebuilding a rotation that featured little depth and no premium talent one week ago. A pair of trades consummated amid this week's chaos in San Diego, though, brought both Rick Porcello and Wade Miley to Boston, affording the Red Sox a pair of mid-rotation starters adept at inducing ground balls. The club also reunited with beleaguered right-hander Justin Masterson on a one-year deal, bringing back the 29-year-old who fashioned a career-worst 5.88 ERA last season amid a waning strikeout rate and serious control issues.

While dramatically improved, the club's rotation still provides little reason for optimism, though Boston's imposing lineup should help alleviate some of the pressure on the starting corps.

Hamels, though, would provide the Red Sox with the premium starter they lost when Jon Lester inked a six-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. The two left-handers have contributed to similar value to their respective teams over the last three seasons, with peripheral statistics that are virtually identical when adjusting for league and park effects.

Despite unloading Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa this week, the Red Sox still wield plenty of young talent that the rebuilding Phillies would love to acquire (including Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart, Henry Owens), and the addition of Hamels could enable the Red Sox to capture a division without a true juggernaut.

Chicago Cubs

The franchise's arduous trek towards relevance was accelerated considerably at the winter meetings, when the Cubs added catcher Miguel Montero and reunited with right-hander Jason Hammel before signing Jon Lester to a five-year deal in what constitutes the biggest deal handed out this offseason thus far.

The club's army of talented, young position players has drawn plaudits around the league for some time and remains poised to take the Cubs to the next level as soon as 2015. Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara spent some time with the Cubs last season, and the impending arrival of Kris Bryant, Albert Almora and Addison Russell should afford the organization a glut of cost-controlled talent largely unparalleled in baseball today.

Though many of these youngsters are ready to contribute at the major-league level, there are only so many positions on the field. The Cubs may consequently be inclined to part with one (or more) of their premium prospects to land Hamels, who would help actualize Theo Epstein's goal to field a competitive club this season. The absence of any truly elite pitching prospects, meanwhile, should only increase the club's desire to land the nine-year veteran.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The new architects behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi, made clear during the winter meetings their intentions to contend for a World Series championship in 2015. 

Within the span of a few hours Wednesday night (their dealings actually spilled into Thursday morning), Friedman and Zaidi added both Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick to bolster their infield, acquiring a pair of seasoned veterans set to become free agents one year from now. Brandon McCarthy, the 31-year-old right-hander who boasts a 3.44 FIP since 2011, agreed to a four-year deal moments later, affording the Dodgers arguably the league's best rotation for 2015.

A subsequent deal that sent Matt Kemp to San Diego for catcher Yasmani Grandal, meanwhile, liberated the Dodgers from most of the $107 million remaining on the outfielder's contract. Though the club's aggressive front office may be inclined to use the savings to pursue a free agent like Max Scherzer or James Shields, the money could instead be used to finance, say, the $94 million left on Hamels' contract.

Not only can the Dodgers afford Hamels and his lofty price tag, but the club also boasts a deep farm system with assets the Phillies would love to have. Corey Seager, a 20-year-old shortstop, remains one of the game's elite prospects after managing a .915 OPS in the Double-A Southern League in 2014. The Phillies would also be enamored with Julio Urias, an 18-year-old left-hander who crafted a 2.36 ERA in the California League this season against players roughly six years his senior.

The acquisition of Hamels, though, would instantly make the Dodgers the most imposing team in the National League, armed with a rotation that could rival that of 1971 Baltimore Orioles.