Cole Hamels to Rangers: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

If there was any question the Philadelphia Phillies are focused solely on the future, the fate of left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels gives a clear indication where the franchise is headed. 

According to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, the Phillies agreed to trade Hamels to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night in a blockbuster deal. The Rangers announced Hamels' arrival on Friday.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News laid out the entire deal: 

Rosenthal reported the Phillies are sending $9.5 million in the deal and will assume Harrison's remaining contract obligation, amounting in around $34 million.

Rosenthal also reported the San Francisco Giants made a late push for Hamels and were in contact with the Rangers "a couple of times" regarding a deal.

Alfaro is believed to be the centerpiece of the package Philadelphia is receiving, and as MLB.com's Phil Rogers noted, his bat could be of interest to the Phillies:  

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan provided a brief scouting report on Williams and Alfaro: 

In 2015, Hamels has posted a 3.64 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 128.2 innings. 

Though the idea of Hamels being traded seemed remote before the season started, reality eventually had to set in for general manager Ruben Amaro and the Phillies front office. Even with the left-hander posting a career-low 2.46 ERA and the club's high payroll in 2014, Philadelphia finished last in the NL East with a 73-89 record. 

Things have gotten worse for the Phillies in 2015, as they boast the league's worst record, though some of that is by design. Amaro started to embrace the need to rebuild by trading Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd in the offseason. 

Hamels said, per MLB, that he's "excited to start the next chapter in my baseball life."

Amaro continued that trend Tuesday, dealing closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Washington Nationals for a minor league pitcher, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. 

Last July, when whispers of a possible Hamels trade began to emerge, Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports cited sources saying there was a list of nine teams Hamels could be traded to without having to give his consent. Texas was one of the nine:

"

Cole Hamels can be traded to LAD, LAA, STL, WAS, ATL, NYY, BOS, TEX, SD without his permission, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 8, 2014"

Hamels hasn't seemed fazed by the ongoing trade rumors around him. During a series against the New York Yankees in June, the left-hander told Brian Costello of the New York Post that he couldn't control those discussions.

“You don’t really have control over anything,” Hamels said. “It’s an organization decision. All I can do is be myself; either that helps them, or it doesn’t help them. They have to make the decision. They’re the ones that really call the shots. I’m just kind of living in the moment.”

Unlike other potential Philadelphia trade chips, Hamels felt like a long shot because he's just 31 years old, still among the best pitchers in baseball and signed through 2018 with an option for 2019. 

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Yet the Phillies' best chance to add multiple impact players to their system without having to spend more money was by trading him. 

Amaro has been reluctant to take the necessary steps to rebuild a team that has gone from a franchise-high 102 wins in 2011 to 73 each of the last two years before 2015. Things are slowly moving in the right direction, with Hamels and Papelbon being dealt and 2014 first-round pick Aaron Nola recently making his MLB debut. 

Hamels served his purpose for the Phillies over the years, leading the team to a World Series victory in 2008, when he was the World Series MVP. He was also a key piece on the 2009 NL championship team and threw at least 200 innings in each of the last five seasons. 

The Rangers will look for Hamels to help ignite their own playoff push. They are 48-52 at the moment, eight games off the pace in the AL West and four back of the second wild card spot. Pitching has been a major source of concern all season, with Texas ranking 28th in team ERA and near the bottom in almost every category. Rangers starters have the fourth-worst WAR in baseball, per FanGraphs, besting only the Diamondbacks, Rockies and Phillies.

Hamels will instantly be the team's new ace and could create a solid one-two punch going forward with Yu Darvish. 

As for the Philly-Hamels relationship, both sides get a clean break. Hamels gets a new start with a franchise that can use his immense talents, while the Phillies get much-needed help for the future.

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