The Philadelphia Phillies likely will trade Cole Hamels art some point this season and teams like the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees and San Diego Padres have all been mentioned as potential landing spots and while he likely will not get traded before the season, the Rangers have been engaged in talks this spring about potentially adding the pitcher.
According to Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, the Texas Rangers and Phillies are "still discussing" a trade deal with Hamels, although the sides are currently "far apart" in talks. The Phillies likely want some top prospects in any deal for Hamels and that is what held up the offer earlier in the offseason with the Boston Red Sox.
The Rangers have pitching issues after losing Yu Darvish to surgery and they could look at Hamels as an option. The team has Yovani Gallardo, Colby Lewis, and Derek Holland and they now would like another ace at the top of the rotation.
Hamels has come up the most of any player this offseason, as he has been connected to the Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees and LA Dodgers. Hamels is likely to get traded at some point, as the Phillies are not likely contending this year and that makes him an attractive target. Hamels has four years and nearly $100 million left on his deal and he should be the hot name at the deadline if the Phillies don't trade him before that.
Hamels is coming off of one of his best seasons as a professional, putting up a 2.46 ERA despite playing for a bad team. Hamels was 9-9 and went for over 200 innings while averaging nearly a strikeout per inning this year. Hamels said that he is "just as eager" as the Phillies to move on, as they are in a rebuilding phase right now. Hamels still has four years on his contract for $96 million and some teams may not want to take on all of that money.
The Red Sox appear to be going all in on this season after signing Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Rusney Castillo and now they could look at making a trade. The team added Rick Porcello in a deal this offseason and according to a column in the Boston Herald, Hamels could be the next target for the Sox. Boston has depth in the rotation, but they always could push someone into the bullpen and it's clear that Hamels is a target after the interest the Red Sox showed earlier in the winter.
The Red Sox will remain as one of the favorites for Hamels since they have a deep farm system of prospects and that could be the main target for the Phillies. Hamels is 31 years old and still has four years and over 90 million remaining on his contract and while the Red Sox are on his limited no trade list, they still should be in the running to trade for him. The contract could be for five years and $110 million, as he has a club option for the 2019 season.
