The Texas Rangers were working on a deal to land Cole Hamels much earlier in the offseason, but the two sides couldn't come to an agreement and Texas went along to acquire Yovani Gallardo from the Milwaukee Brewers. But the latest injury to ace Yu Darvish has the Rangers considering all options.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Rangers and Phillies have remained trade discussions regarding Hamels. However, a big gap remains in what Philadelphia would receive in compensation for the left-hander.
The acquisition of Gallardo had general manager Jon Daniels in a good position to help the Rangers contend for a playoff spot. The 1-2 punch of Darvish and Gallardo was a good upgrade to help compete with the solid rotations of the Mariners, Angels and Athletics, but with Darvish out due to Tommy John surgery the Rangers will need another established starter atop their rotation.
The initial deal that fell apart for Hamels reportedly had to do with financial compensation on Philadelphia's end regarding the remaining $96 million on the pitcher's contract. General Manager Ruben Amaro wants complete financial relief of Hamels' deal on top of receiving three top prospects in exchange for his services. This has caused a number of teams, including the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, to remain at arms-length in such trade talks, as anonymous executives have said Amaro is "out of touch" with the market for Hamels.
But now that Texas is in a bit of a desperate position and certainly has the offensive fire-power to make a push for the postseason, they could very well budge and give the Phillies what they want.
"The Rangers have two of baseball's best prospects in slugger Joey Gallo and catcher Jorge Alfaro but they have a deep list, with right-handers Luke Jackson and Alex Gonzalez and outfielder Nick Williams plus many other well regarded. Texas also is thought to have some money left," writes Heyman.
However, Philadelphia is also in a bit of a dire situation because their other top left-hander, Cliff Lee, tore a ligament in his elbow and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. He's going to attempt rehab, but at this point it looks as if the injury will require surgery, which will likely end his career. The 36-year-old Lee was expected to be a major trade chip if he proved to be healthy throughout spring training and the beginning of the regular season, and would have gave the Phillies some time before pulling the trigger on Hamels.
Philadelphia is in rebuilding mode and absolutely needs to trade Hamels if they wish to get young talent in return to expedite that process. The Rangers could be their top suitor as of right now.
