The Texas Rangers are not waiting until the trade deadline gets closer to discuss acquiring a top starting pitcher.
Sources tell FOX Sports' Jon Morosi that the Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies are "having ongoing dialogue about Cole Hamels" and the left-hander is willing to be traded there.
Hamels has been linked to the Rangers in trade rumors for quite some time now.
We wrote yesterday that Rangers' general manager Jon Daniels is open-minded in terms of making a trade before the deadline if it helps the club, and Hamels has long been considered a candidate to help patch up that injured rotation.
Speaking of those injured starters, Morosi also noted that the Rangers expect to have Martin Perez, Matt Harrison and Derek Holland back in the rotation at some point this year, but the team "views Hamels as an elite upgrade worth pursuing."
This is no surprise because the Rangers were close to landing Hamels in the offseason, but they couldn't reach an agreement with the Phillies regarding how much money on the left-hander's contract would be covered. Daniels then went out and acquired Yovani Gallardo from the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Rangers' rotation has been solid this season, but it's clear the unit is not built for competing down the stretch or during a playoff series. Hamels would undoubtedly improve the continuity atop the rotation and act as an ace for a staff that is missing theirs after Yu Darvish was lost to Tommy John surgery.
If Texas can strike a deal for Hamels then perhaps they would no longer have to worry about preserving the arms they have right now. Last week it was posited that the Rangers could experiment with variants of a six-man rotation to give others starters some rest.
"In brain-storming sessions, [manager Jeff] Banister and the staff have discussed the merits of possibilities such as a five-and-one, in which a starter such as [Anthony] Ranaudo is brought up from the minors on occasion, to a full six-man rotation," Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News wrote.
"The idea is to keep the foundation five starters rested and healthy."
Hamels is an innings eater. He's thrown over 200 innings per year since 2010 and has already thrown 94 1/3 in 14 starts this season (an average of 6.74 per outing).
It's unknown who the Phillies want from the Rangers in exchange for the left-hander, but we can at least assume Philadelphia is backing off their original demands or Texas is willing to give in. The consistent discussions indicate there's been some progress.
ESPN's Jayson Stark predicted last week "Hamels winds up in Texas with minutes left before the deadline," but perhaps it will be much earlier than that.
We'll be keeping updates on this development as more become available.
