MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported early Friday morning that the Rangers and Mariners have had dialogue about a trade involving starter Cole Hamels. As Morosi notes, a deal isn’t close yet.
Hamels, 34, is earning $22.5 million this season and has a $20 million club option for the 2019 season with a $6 million buyout. The lefty also has a limited no-trade clause, but the Mariners are not one of the teams to which he can prevent a trade.
Hamels has posted a 3.61 ERA with a 97/37 K/BB ratio in 97 1/3 innings this season. The Mariners’ rotation would certainly get a boost if he were to join the squad. While James Paxton and Wade LeBlanc have pitched well, Felix Hernandez has been abysmal, posting a 5.10 ERA. While Hamels would certainly not push Hernandez out of the rotation, he would help make Hernandez’s lack of production more tolerable.
The Rangers enter Friday 36-46 and in last place in the AL West. While the club isn’t dead in the water the way the Orioles, White Sox, and Royals are, it is certainly reasonable to cut their losses on the season and try to build towards the future by swapping Hamels for prospects.