Philadelphia Phillies‘ pitcher Cole Hamels tossed a no-hitter on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs. Hamels’ only blemishes were two walks, and he struck out 13 Cubs on his way to his first career no-hitter, although he was part of a combined no-hitter last September 1 against the Atlanta Braves. In that outing, Hamels was only able to pitch six innings, as he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh inning after having walked five batters and running his pitch count up.

Hamels is the top starting pitcher available on the trade market prior to the July 31 2015 MLB Trade Deadline. Teams had been a bit concerned after Hamels’ previous two starts, for which he threw a combined 6.1 innings and allowed 20 hits and 14 earned runs, which raised his ERA from 3.02 to 3.91. With the timing of this outing, Hamels proves that he’s physically fine, and ready to help out any contending team that makes a deal to acquire him.

From the Phillies’ point of view, the no-hitter couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. There are a number of suitors looking to add Hamels to the front of their rotation, and now the Phillies can create a bit of a bidding war that very likely will end up bringing them a bigger package of prospects than originally expected. What better leverage to have in trade discussions than being able to say that Hamels threw a no-hitter in his last start?

If this is in fact Hamels’ last start in a Phillies uniform, there’s no better way he could’ve gone out. He loves the city and the fans, and it’s a perfect way to be remembered. Everybody in the Phillies’ organization is a winner today, as Hamels’ put himself and the organization squarely into the history books.

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.