Texas Rangers: Time to Trade Veteran Starter Cole Hamels?

The trade deadline continues to loom, and the direction of the Texas Rangers is still uncertain. If the team decides to be sellers, should veteran Cole Hamels be one of the players traded this July?

The four-time All-Star Cole Hamels was terrific for the Texas Rangers in 2016. The 33-year-old lefty is having a hard time finding his groove this season, and could potentially pitch his way right off the team.

This season Hamels as started only six times, but was completely destroyed in his most recent outing. He allowed seven runs on eight hits and four walks and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.

The lack of command has been the biggest factor, and could be his downfall. Hamels has walked 16 batters in 37 innings of work. The 12 year veteran has thrown over 200 innings in seven consecutive seasons.

More from Nolan Writin'

• Framework for a potential Max Fried trade to the Texas Rangers
• Early 2023 MLB mock draft has Texas Rangers selecting an Ohtani-lite
• 3 Texas Rangers outfield trade targets not named Bryan Reynolds
• Did Jacob deGrom really mean what he said at his Texas Rangers press conference?
• Where do Texas Rangers prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker stand after the DeGrom signing?

Hamels is a borderline ace pitcher normally, but age and a heavy workload have slowed him down. He’s signed through the 2018 season with a team option for the 2019 season. If the Rangers decide to rebuild then moving Hamels is a must this season.

His value isn’t as high as it was last season, but it’s better late than never. Hamels is not the same pitcher he used to be, and moving him as part of a rebuild is a must. He isn’t going to get any better, and he clearly isn’t helping the Rangers right now.

When Hamels was traded to Texas he was part of a deal that sent six players to Philadelphia including multiple top prospects. His value has decreased since then, but snagging one or two above average prospects for Hamels is a steal for the Rangers.

Next: Should the Rangers Call Up Yohander Mendez?

Whether fans want to acknowledge it or not, this is a team that needs to look towards the future. Moving on from Hamels is a smart move for the future even if it means throwing in the towel for the 2017 season.