Rangers Rumors: Texas Favorites to Land Phillies' Cole Hamels

While the Philadelphia Phillies haven’t officially decided to trade left-hander Cole Hamels this summer, some rival evaluators view the Texas Rangers as the favorites to land the 28-year-old, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.

But while the Phillies haven't actually decided to trade Cole Hamels, the Rangers are viewed by some rival evaluators as the favorites to land the left-hander. Texas has the perfect piece to offer Philadelphia, 23-year-old third baseman Mike Olt -- a former supplemental first-rounder path to the big leagues is blocked by Adrian Beltre -- and Hamels would give Texas precisely what it needs as it tries to climb the World Series mountaintop again.

Olney adds that the Milwaukee Brewers asking price for right-hander Zack Greinke "may be out of the Rangers’ comfort zone."

The Rangers pulled a similar move in 2010 when they acquired left-hander Cliff Lee. Texas went on to make a run at re-signing Lee that off-season, and Olney believes the club could make a similar move with Hamels. If the team believes the bidding for Josh Hamilton is going to get "too pricey," they could look to invest its money in a long-term deal for Hamels.

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Who would you rather have long-term, Hamels or Hamilton?

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