Yesterday, we learned news of Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels preferring not to be sent to the Houston Astros in a trade. In that same report, we did learn that the three-time All Star would be willing to accept a move just a few hours north of Houston to Globe Life Park, home of the Texas Rangers. Now, it seems that a deal between Philadelphia and Texas could be heating up. Jon Morosi of FOX Sports and MLB Network had the following report on the potential trade:
Sources: #Rangers and #Phillies having ongoing dialogue about Cole Hamels, and he is willing to waive no-trade to Texas. @FOXSports
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 23, 2015
As we've learned in the past, "ongoing" does not necessarily mean "imminent" when is comes to these sorts of discussions. However, a successful deal between the two teams could bring light to an otherwise dull season of baseball in Philadelphia. Some of the most exciting headlines have come from the young players this season, with Maikel Franco off to a fantastic start, Aaron Nola quickly making his way up through the minor leagues, and Adam Morgan successfully defeating the league's best team this past Sunday. Should the Phillies bring in some of the Rangers' minor league talent (take a look at their top ten prospects according to Baseball Prospectus, particularly catcher Jorge Alfaro), the future could become that much more enticing.
At this point, Cole Hamels holds a record of 5-5, with a 2.96 ERA (3.55 FIP), 9.83 K/9, and a 1.7 WAR.
The Texas Rangers sit three games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West with a record of 37-33. The team has been without their ace, Yu Darvish, for the entire season after Darvish opted for Tommy John Surgery in March.
Morosi went on to say that the Rangers expect Martin Perez, Matt Harrison, and Derek Holland to all return to the rotation at some point this season. However, he does note that the team believes Hamels is worth the investment, even with their returns.
Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com
