Yankees: What would it take to acquire Cole Hamels in a trade?

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The Yankees are set to face Rangers ace Cole Hamels Tuesday night in a matchup that is sure to be watched closely by the Yankees front office. Hamels is one of the top pitchers expected to be available around this year’s trade deadline and a trade to New York could be a possibility.

The Yankees offense continues to dominate with 28 runs and 14 home runs over their last three games, but the starting pitching still remains a work in progress. On paper, it’s a solid rotation with Luis Severino at the forefront contending for the Cy Young, however, after him, consistency has been an issue.

Masahiro Tanaka is as inconsistent as it gets, Sonny Gray had pitched very poorly before throwing a gem on Sunday and even the normally reliable CC Sabathia has scuffled over his last two starts. Rookie Domingo German has been solid replacing Jordan Montgomery but he got banged up his last time out after throwing six no-hit innings in his first career start.

The Yankees clearly lack a second “ace” to go behind Severino and while Cole Hamels may not be the ace he once was he should be considered as a potential trade target. As I said before, Hamels isn’t the dominant pitcher he used to be with the Phillies but at age 34 you could argue that he’d still be a better option than anyone else in the Yankees rotation outside of Sevy.

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 28: Pitcher Cole Hamels #35 of the Texas Rangers watches the New York Yankees bat in the third inning during a game at Yankee Stadium on June 28, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Through nine starts the four-time All-Star has a respectable ERA of 3.48 with opponents hitting a meager .228 against him. His 1.28 WHIP is above his career average of 1.17 but his 9.9 K’s per nine innings is a career-best up to this point. Even though his velocity has dipped into the 92-93 mph range instead of 95-96 that tells you he still has good stuff and has plenty left in the tank.

One of the main reasons the Yankees might show interest in trading for Hamels in the coming months is his postseason experience. He’s a former World Series MVP back in 2008 and over the course of his career, his postseason ERA is a very solid 3.48 in 98.1 innings. Hamels knows how to win in October and this Yankee team is destined for some playoff baseball down the road.

According to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post the Ranger’s left-hander is well aware that he could be traded and that the Yankees are a team who could have interest in him.

“You get traded once and you understand the possibilities are there. … The Yankees have a tremendous team. I feel like I have a lot left and I’ve been able to add more pitches and I haven’t had a serious injury.’’ “As you get older and if you are able to play well and keep up what I know I’m capable of doing, then sometimes each year you can be on a different team hunting down the postseason. It’s kind of the nature of where I think I am in my career and in my contract and in the situation.’’

Durability has never been an issue for Hamels throughout his career but last season he posted a career low in innings. He also enters tonight’s start coming off some neck stiffness which forced him to miss his last start. The injury doesn’t seem to be too concerning, but if it continues to linger that could definitely affect his trade value.

Before we talk about who the Yankees should consider including in a package for Hamels I will say that out of all the starting pitchers potentially available in trade talks he is the best. Fellow lefties Madison Bumgarner and Patrick Corbin aren’t expected to be dealt and Chris Archer and Michael Fulmer are both struggling which should leave Hamels as the most coveted arm on the market.

Hamels is certainly a fit for the Yankees and many other teams, but there are some hurdles that could halt a potential deal to New York. First is his contract which pays him a total of $22.5 million this season along with a $20 million club option for 2019.

Obviously, if the Yankees were to strike a deal with Texas the Rangers would have to eat a large chunk of the remaining money owed to Hamels. With the Yankees desire to stay under the luxury tax the Rangers would probably have to eat anywhere from $8-12 Million for a deal to get done. The Yankees saved up money in the offseason so they would have money to spend on a guy like Hamels, but there’s no way they’ll pay off the rest of his deal themselves.

That’s one thing Hal Steinbrenner has emphasized over the past couple of seasons and that’s not going to change. If this was the Hamels of five years ago the Yankees might be more willing to take on the majority of the remaining money owed to him, but at this point in his career that would be a poor decision. Brian Cashman is smart enough to realize that so don’t expect the Yankees go over that luxury tax threshold in a trade for Hamels or anyone else for that matter.

The other tricky part is who the Yanks would trade from their highly touted farm system in any deal for Hamels. You would think that since Hamels isn’t the elite ace he once was and is more of a solid 2 or a 3 these days that certain prospects will be untouchable for the Rangers. That likely includes Estevan Florial, Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield and Albert Abreu. To add on to the obvious, Gleyerb Torres and Miguel Andujar aren’t going anywhere either.

If a deal is going to get done I think the Yankees would rather deal a pitcher like Chance Adams (#5 prospect per MLB.com), Frecier Perez (#7) or Domingo Acevedo (#8).

Tyler Wade and Brandon Drury are two more names who could be traded because right now they’re blocked by the rookies Torres and Andujar at the big league level. Wade is someone who has struggled with the Yankees but a change of scenery could do him some good and he still has a lot of tools that would peak the interest of many teams.

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Drury is a better player than Wade and, therefore, a better trade piece and even though the Yankees are still very high on him they might have to deal him. Right now it doesn’t look like a spot on their 25-man roster is opening up any time soon and if that continues in the coming weeks he could become expendable.

Depending on what the Yankees do when Greg Bird gets back Tyler Austin could also be in talks if the upcoming roster crunch forces him back to Triple-A. The Rangers have a need at first base and Austin has shown he can really produce at the big league level.

I’m sure the Yankees would love to hold on to Drury and Austin, but you have to give to get so if these are two guys whose talents are just going to be wasted in the minors you might as well trade one of them to improve the starting staff.

Next: Should the Yankees have sent down Clint Frazier?

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out in the coming months, but there’s no doubt that Cole Hamels can help this Yankee team in their quest for championship #28. However, if a deal is going to get done it’s going to be on their terms and if the Rangers don’t meet their demands they should look elsewhere.

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Yankees: What would it take to acquire Cole Hamels?

The Yankees are set to face Rangers ace Cole Hamels Tuesday night in a matchup that is sure to be watched closely by the Yankees front office. Hamels is one of the top pitchers expected to be available around this year’s trade deadline and a trade to New York could be a possibility.

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