On Monday, the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers made a trade that got some chattering. There have been rumors about what happened prior and what may happen after the deal that sent starter Yovani Gallardo to Texas.
Let's start with what was said to have happened before the trade went down. Last week it was reported the Rangers were one of four teams still in discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies about left-hander Cole Hamels, along with the Padres, Red Sox and Cardinals. According to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, the Rangers had "in-depth trade talks" with the Phillies about Hamels before they agreed to the deal with the Brewers.
This could mean one of two things: the Rangers were looking to acquire Hamels in one final push before they finally pulled the trigger on another option to be prepared for spring training, or they simply made sure they acquired Gallardo before it was too late to keep Milwaukee engaged in talks. They did surrender three prospects to the Brewers for Gallardo, but the Phillies are in pursuit of three top prospects, none of which the Rangers gave up. The Brewers received infielder Luis Sardinas, who was the No. 7 ranked prospect in the Rangers' farm system and the highest rated in the deal.
However, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports the problem for Texas in the Hamels' trade talks was money. He didn't elaborate, but that could mean a number of things. Perhaps Hamels' 2015 salary was too much to add onto their payroll, which is already at $131 million. Maybe the Rangers were looking to unload another contract to acquire Hamels but were unable to. It's also possible the Phillies were requiring Texas to pick up Hamels' $20 million team option for the 2019 season (since it's been said that could be contingent upon a trade).
Whatever the case, the Rangers aren't getting Hamels right now and it was apparently a fiscal-related issue.
As for Milwaukee, it was speculated once the trade went down that the team would pursue free-agent starter James Shields. With Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza and Wily Peralta atop their starting rotation, it's clear they need an ace, so a move for Shields would make perfect sense.
"There is no indication the Brewers are considering pursuing Shields, but remember, they lurked two offseasons go before signing Lohse in late-March, when his price dropped significantly," writes Mike Axisa of CBS Sports. "I don't expect Shields to drop his price much, but, if he does at all, the Brewers are in much better position to make a play than they were with Gallardo on the roster."
General manger Doug Melvin said he doesn't see the team pursuing Shields, according Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, which supports there's no indication of such a move. However, after trading Gallardo, and with Lohse becoming a free agent after 2015, the team is in need of an established arm at the top of the rotation.
With as crazy as this offseason has been, we really can't rule anything out.
