Cole Hamels proved during the month of May that he's perhaps the top trade candidate as the deadline approaches. The Philadelphia Phillies likely have a number of suitors for the left-hander, but one team stands out the most.
The Texas Rangers.
Rangers' general manager Jon Daniels and Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro reached "in-depth" trade talks regarding Hamels in the offseason, but the deal fell through because the two sides couldn't agree on the amount of money Philadelphia would cover in Hamels' contract.
Now that rumors imply the Phillies are willing to cover more money on the left-hander's deal, the Rangers might be the top suitor because of their assets and a need for starting pitching. Philadelphia has not backed off on their demands in return for Hamels, but that wasn't the problem when the trade talks fell through with the Rangers in the offseason.
"There may be some degree of a thought process here of 'if we've got an opportunity to win, we can't let it get by us," Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News said on the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast. "If there's potential conversation about pitchers, obviously Cole Hamels might be a guy that would be a difference-maker ... I think that if the Rangers were to add somebody it would have to be somebody who was a significant impact-maker, and we're talking about a pitcher on the level of Hamels."
Corey Seidman of CSN Philly agrees, and in fact, thinks the Rangers are the perfect trade partner for the Phillies.
"The Rangers have other prospects that would seem to fit the Phillies' needs perfectly. The two that stick out are catcher Jorge Alfaro and rightfielder Nomar Mazara. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported last week that the Phils sought those two players in talks earlier this year and didn't gain much ground. But that was likely before the Rangers' offense woke up. And the closer the trade deadline gets, the more reasonable that asking price will look. Teams can value their prospects over Hamels all they want in May and June. The end of July, which is the opportunity to separate from the pack with a midseason blockbuster, is a different story."
Texas' offense has witnessed a surge as of late and their 252 runs scored ranks second in the MLB. The problem all along has been the starting rotation, which is without Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Martin Perez. It ranks 19th in the league with a 4.24 ERA.
As a result, the Rangers acquired Yovani Gallardo in the offseason, signed Wandy Rodriguez back in April and promoted rookie Chi Chi Gonzalez last week. Nick Martinez (aside from his most recent start) is emerging as reliable pitcher, but the club still lacks an ace, at least until Darvish returns at some point in 2016 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. This definitely leaves the door open for a Hamels deal.
"Would it make sense for the Rangers? The thought here is yes," Seidman added. "Texas is well-stocked with offense and has a ton of money committed to position players. How many do they need? The all-offense, thin-pitching approach failed in the early-2000s and wasn't quite enough in 2010 or 2011, when the Rangers lost in the World Series. The glaring need, especially in that hitter-friendly ballpark, is for pitching."
If the Rangers remain in the playoff discussion you can count on Daniels to explore all relevant starting pitching options on the market as the trade deadline is less than two months away.
