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.

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.

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.