Cole Hamels is on the trade block. He knows it, the Phillies know it, and reporters have been circling for months to get the scoop on where the lefty's headed. And then, after Thursday's game with the Orioles, it looked like the big break had finally come:

Cole Hamels locker is empty. - jon johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) June 18, 2015

Phillies reporters say Cole Hamels' locker has been cleaned out. No nameplate. Was supposedly scratched from Fri's start w hamstring injury - Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) June 18, 2015

In the frantic moments afterward, everyone rushed to make sense of this breaking development: Where would Hamels be playing? What did the Phillies get in return? How would the Phanatic handle the news?!

Except, well, it turns out that Cole Hamels just delights in trolling us all/cruelly upsetting furry green things -- he had emptied his locker just as a gag, to poke a little fun at all the rumors swirling around and remind everyone that, hey, he's still a member of a baseball team.

Seriously, though, would a heads up to the mascot have really killed you?