1 Unexpected Trade the Texas Rangers Could Pull off This Offseason

With a tumultuous 2014 season behind them, the Texas Rangers will be focusing on ways to improve this offseason.

The club dropped 95 games last year, their highest total since the 1985 campaign in which they lost 99 games. An unfathomable amount of injuries plagued the roster from spring training all the way through October. A crowded disabled list was not the only reason for the struggles in 2014, as many key players struggled to perform well for the majority of the campaign.

The free-agent market is fairly deep in both pitching and position players. Most of the Rangers’ work could be done there, including adding starting and relief depth, as well as a catcher who could play in Arlington for the next few years while top prospect Jorge Alfaro hones his game.

However, there is one unexpected trade Texas could pull off this offseason and put to rest some of the issues that surround the club.

LM Otero/Associated Press

The emergence of Jake Smolinski, Ryan Rua and Rougned Odor give the Rangers extra options in the lineup and on the bench, although they will still have to fight for a roster spot. And if guys like Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo can stay healthy and help Adrian Beltre provide runs like they did a couple of years ago, this organization could be solid offensively

It’s pitching that should be the main concern for the organization. Texas had the third-worst team ERA (4.49) and second-worst WHIP (1.41) in all of baseball. They traded away Joakim Soria and Jason Frasor, and no return dates have been set for the returns of Martin Perez and Matt Harrison.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports starting pitching is indeed the top priority and they hope to land a veteran.

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So the offseason begins with starting pitching. The Rangers will have a rotation that leads with Yu Darvish and Derek Holland. They are also hoping to re-sign Colby Lewis. But they would like at least one veteran starter to go into the middle and compete with Nick Martinez and Nick Tepesch.

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Pitching is the only area worth trading for and the unexpected could happen as it has in the past. General manager Jon Daniels is known for offloading the farm to acquire high-priced talent and this is one trade that would certainly fit the bill.

Rangers acquire: LHP Cole Hamels, cash considerations

Phillies acquire: INF Luis Sardinas, OF Lewis Brinson, RHP Luke Jackson, RHP Alexi Ogando

The Philadelphia Phillies will have the fifth-highest payroll in 2015 and only Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee will make more than Cole Hamels.

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Starting with the NL East team, the Phillies aren’t getting any younger. Seven of the club’s regular starters, both pitching and position players, will be at least 35 years old next year. Even with all of the veteran talent the team has, they finished 16 games under .500 and last in their division.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote the Phillies are willing to trade any player on the roster and Hamels could be more valuable than any free-agent pitcher on the market.

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The money remaining on Hamels' contract, $90 million over four years, makes him arguably more attractive than the top free-agent starting pitchers, right-hander Max Scherzer and lefty Jon Lester, both of whom are likely to command more on the open market.

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Of course, Rosenthal also points out Hamels would cost any team elite prospects.

That is something the Rangers should be OK with despite recent history. Everyone knows how well past trades for Cliff Lee and Matt Garza turned out for the organization, and that could end the discussion before it begins.

However, Texas isn’t short on middle infield prospects and received a boost in the pitching department after shipping Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers in 2014.

Year	W-L	Innings	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB
2011	14-9	216	2.79	0.986	194	44
2012	17-6	215.1	3.05	1.124	216	52
2013	8-14	220	3.60	1.159	202	50
2014	9-9	204.2	2.46	1.148	198	59

The Rangers are also one of just 10 teams not included in Hamels’ no-trade list. He will be 31 years old when next season starts, be under club control until 2018 and would join a rotation already consisting of Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Martin Perez.

Moreover, Hamels provides a veteran presence and postseason experience no other Ranger possesses. He has a career 3.09 ERA in the playoffs and has pitched in two World Series. He was named World Series MVP when the Phillies won it all in 2008.

This sort of transaction hasn’t worked out well for Daniels in the past. However, Hamels has a track record of success and would be far more than just a late-season rental.

Staying healthy is the biggest key for the Rangers, but acquiring a guy like Hamels would put the Rangers back into postseason contention.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.

You can follow Trey on Twitter @treydwarren.