Cole Hamels trade rumors: Giants and Red Sox fading

The Cole Hamels bidding is expected to finally come to an end within the next two days, and while there are still a few potential landing spots for him, it appears as if two suitors might be dropping out of the sweepstakes. According to Ken Rosenthal, while the Giants made a push to enter the Hamels market, they haven't made any progress lately.

#SFGiants fading in Hamels derby. Have not been in touch with #Phillies in last 24 hours, according to a source.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2015

Giants beat reporter, Hank Schulman, noted that the Phillies would want "big-leaguer(s)" in exchange for Hamels, and that's not something that Bobby Evans would be willing to do. San Francisco has more than a few players that Philadelphia would likely have their eye on (Matt Duffy and Joe Panik), but the Giants can't afford to trade players that have become a major part of their offense, even for Hamels.

The Red Sox are the other team that apparently might be out of the running, however not because of waning interest.

"According to one major league source, Hamels' no-trade clause -- that prevents the Phillies from dealing the 31-yeard old to a list [of] teams, one of them being the Red Sox -- continues to be a roadblock when it comes to the Sox acquiring the lefty. It seemingly has been an issue throughout the team's pursuit of Hamels."

-Rob Bradford, WEEI

Unfortunately for Boston, their level of interest doesn't matter all that much if Hamels ultimately won't accept a trade to the Red Sox. They could offer the best overall package, but the no-trade clause would render that null and void. The Phillies want final proposals for Hamels by the end of today, and with these recent reports, the field has likely been narrowed by two teams.