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One of the worst kept secrets of this trade season is that the Texas Rangers are looking to unload Cole Hamels. The Rangers appear to be headed very quickly towards a rebuild as they occupy the cellar and at Hamels age, he isn’t going to be a part of the team’s future.
Moreover, Hamels is owed a bunch of money for this season. His 2019 option highly unlikely to vest this season given that he had to total 400 IP between 2017 and 2018 and he only got to 148 innings last year, but the remaining balance of the over $20 million he is due this year is a pretty large incentive to move him. Complicating things for the Rangers is that Hamels has not been particularly great. His ERA of 3.61 this season isn’t bad, but he has some scary peripherals, most notably a FIP that sits at 5.23 which seems to indicate that regression is headed Hamels’ way.
However, it appears as though the Rangers may have enough details worked out to where they can feasibly move Cole before the All-Star break.
Sources: #Rangers groundwork on a Cole Hamels trade has advanced to the point that a deal before the All-Star Game is increasingly possible. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 29, 2018
There is no word on who the potential suitor is from Morosi’s report, but some speculation lately has centered around the Yankees of late as a potential destination.
Hamels’ market may be limited due to the fact that he can block trades to 20 teams and he can only be traded to the Astros, Braves, Mariners, Nationals, Phillies, Rays, Cardinals, Royals, and Cubs without him giving the okay and not all of those teams are in the market for an aging starter with issues keeping the ball in the park and owed a bunch of money.