Texas Rangers Trade Feature: Cole Hamels

Where might Cole Hamels end up?

Seattle?

Recent rumors have Cole Hamels linked to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are currently half a game back from the Houston Astros for fist place in the AL West. They’ve had tremendous success this season; however, their starting pitching is spotty.

Apart from James Paxton, Seattle does not have a reliable starter. Felix Hernandez is not what he once was, as is indicated by his 5.11 ERA this season. Marco Gonzalez, Wade LeBlanc, and Mike Leake are having nice seasons, but none of them are ideal for late-season or playoff pressures.

It’s tough to win in the postseason with one reliable starter. Cole Hamels makes a good case as a reliable starter. He’s no longer a guy that will guarantee seven innings of two or three run baseball, but he is a guy that will keep his team in the ballgame. Also, the idea of pitching for a contender should enhance Hamels’ performances.

New York?

The Yankees are expected to anxiously search the trade market for starting pitching help. They have a lot of questions marks beyond ace Luis Severino. C.C. Sabathia has been a pleasant surprise, but he’s 37 years old and hasn’t thrown over 150 innings since 2016. He may or may not reach the mark this season; however, his innings will really stack up in the postseason.

In addition, Masahiro Tanaka is currently on the DL as he seems to be quite often, and Sonny Gray has been on a downward trend all year-long. Point being, the Yanks need to come away with at least one proven arm this trade season.

Cole Hamels would be that. He may not be the Yankees’ first choice, but he’ll be much more affordable than Jacob deGrom. New York has the farm system to front a nice return for Texas as well.

The Texas Rangers could spice a potential deal by adding in a reliever. New York has two left-handed pitchers in their bullpen, Aroldis Chapman and Chasen Shreve. Of course, they don’t need any help with Chapman, but they could use an improved spot reliever from Shreve. Shreve has a 4.97 ERA in 2018. A reliever such as Jake Diekman would be a nice improvement from the left side out of the pen.

Philly?

How about a Cole Hamels return to the Philadelphia Phillies? It certainly seems possible. The Phillies are ahead of schedule in the pursuit of the postseason. They have the young talent to swap for a playoff-ready pitcher. A Cole Hamels addition would make for a menacing top three in the rotation with Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta.

Philly has the talent to make it to the postseason, but they need another stopper in the rotation if they want to compete with the other National League contenders.

Might Jake Diekman spruce up this offer too? Or maybe Keone Kela? The Phillies have the 22nd ranked bullpen in MLB. Needless to say, they could use another power arm in the pen. Diekman could be a good fit; though, Kela is the greater need. Hamels and Kela combined would warrant the return of a high quality prospect.

Milwaukee?

Here’s a sleeper. The Milwaukee Brewers have edged the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central to this point. Even so, it still seems the Cubs are much more so built for the postseason. Why? Because the Cubs have top-notch starting pitching.

The Brewers’ starting staff has held up this year, but it has the same problem as the Yankees and Phillies…it needs a playoff arm. Their rotation has zero postseason experience. Literally, zero. Thus, they could use a pitcher like Hamels. Heck, he might even fit in as the ace in the Milwaukee rotation.

The Brewers absolutely need to obtain a quality starting pitcher this trade season. If they don’t then they’ll have no shot at a postseason run. In fact, they might not even make the postseason.

As food for thought, what about adding Jurickson Profar in a package deal with Hamels? Profar does not have a consistent position with the Texas Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers are struggling to find a fit at shortstop given the disappointing season in which Orlando Arcia has had.

The Rangers could really get something special back if they combine Hamels and Profar.