After rumors of the Rangers talking to multiple teams about a possible Cole Hamels trade, it looks as if the Cubs are the final landing spot for the veteran lefty. Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant reports that a deal is in place to send the Rangers pitcher to Chicago.
Rangers trade veteran lefty Cole Hamels to Cubs
Hamels has been connected to multiple teams but Chicago are the winners.
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Hamels has a $20 million team option for 2019, or a $6 million buyout which is looking like the more probable path for his team to take. He also has a sizable amount of money on his contract for this season, so it makes sense that current reports have the Rangers sending salary relief to the Cubs in the trade, and receiving some low-level prospects in return.
While he hasn’t had a great summer, Hamels’ is an inning absorber whose home/road splits are promising when you dig in past his 4.72 ERA and 5.20 FIP. In 59 innings at home he has a 6.41 ERA while in 55.1 innings away from Arlington he has a 2.93 ERA. So this might be a classic change of scenery success story, which is certainly what the Cubs are hoping for.
The Cubs’ planned rotation at the beginning of the season hasn’t exactly panned out for them as they hoped — it’s far from five shutdown guys owning the mound. Which isn’t their fault, but it would be their fault if they didn’t try and remedy it before the deadline.
Hamels is a low-cost, relatively low-risk acquisition that won’t be a weight around their necks for years to come if he’s bad but they can also go ahead and exercise that option if he turns it around in the second half and really shines in the postseason. After all, Hamels is a four-time All-Star. You never know the kind of turnarounds that can happen when you don’t expect them.
We’ll update this post as the final money heading to Chicago and prospects heading back are confirmed.
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