 Before the season began in March , Hamels made a complaint about the Phillies <unk> him , saying it was a " low blow " and he was " caught off @-@ guard " with the gap between what he and his agent John <unk> felt was a fair reward for his performance in the previous season and what he was paid ( the Phillies paid him US $ 500 @,@ 000 , barely above the minimum salary for MLB players despite Hamels ' strong performance ) . 
