MLB Rumors: Trade Buzz on Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon and More

Trade season has been blown wide open in Major League Baseball. It's one thing to have trades happen prior to July 31, but it's something else entirely when marquee names are involved as has happened already and may keep happening within the next three days. 

Having a Cy Young-caliber pitcher in Johnny Cueto traded to the Kansas City Royals and, per MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (h/t MLB Roster Moves), Troy Tulowitzki going to the Toronto Blue Jays in a roughly 48-hour window speaks to where teams are this summer. 

Contenders seem willing to be more aggressive in their approach, while teams out of contention are taking steps to get better in the long run. It makes for a fun trading season, even if some things don't make sense on a surface level. 

Here is the latest roundup of rumors that will hopefully make this trade season even more eventful.

Astros Looking for Another Big Arm

The Houston Astros are not letting this season's surprising contention window go by without going after pieces on the trade market. They have already acquired Scott Kazmir to boost the rotation but don't appear to be done looking at impact arms. 

According to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, the Astros have eyes on Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels:

There are going to be a lot of rumblings about Hamels until he's dealt or July 31 at 4:01 p.m. ET—whichever happens first. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported San Francisco would love to add the lefty but doesn't have a good enough package to entice the Phillies. 

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, in that order, are seen as the top two suitors in the Hamels trade negotiations. 

Of those teams, the Rangers have the biggest need because of the lack of impact arms in their rotation. The Astros at least have Kazmir and Dallas Keuchel to fall back on if they don't land Hamels. The Dodgers have some guys named Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. The Giants just won a title on the back of Madison Bumgarner. 

Yet in terms of perception and showing the plan is fully in place, the Astros have more at stake in this than any other team. They have been building a farm system for years, it's finally starting to yield results, and the roster is going to be very good for a long time to come. 

Hamels would fit right into what the Astros are building because he's signed through 2018 with an option for 2019. His salary for those three guaranteed seasons combined is $70.5 million, which really isn't that extravagant for a top-tier starter who is just 31 years old. 

Here's how Hamels' 2015 numbers compare with another 31-year-old left-hander:

Player	ERA	WHIP	ERA+	FIP	K/9 IP	K-BB
Hamels	3.64	1.181	104	3.20	9.6	3.51
Lester	3.32	1.195	112	2.99	8.8	3.94

Hamels and Jon Lester have been roughly the same pitchers this season, but the difference is Lester will make $125 million from 2016 through 2020. 

It will certainly take a lot for the Phillies to move their ace left-hander, but the franchise is in a spot where it gains nothing by retaining him. Deal him now to maximize his value, while hoping the Astros are willing to part with at least two prospects from their still-good system. 

Jonathan Papelbon on Nationals' Radar

Speaking of Phillies players who really don't serve a key function at this point, Jonathan Papelbon may be a better candidate than Hamels because he's in the final guaranteed year of his deal, and relievers are always in demand this time of year. 

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Papelbon has drawn the Washington Nationals' attention:

As the last part of Rosenthal's tweet mentions, there could be a hang-up for the Nationals in a possible deal for Papelbon. He has a partial no-trade clause in his contract with only 12 teams he's unable to block a deal with, per Comcast SportsNet's Jim Salisbury. 

That list doesn't include the Nationals, who have gotten a great performance from Drew Storen in the closer's role this season. The 27-year-old has a 1.73 ERA with 44 strikeouts, nine walks and 29 saves in 36.1 innings. 

Storen has shown a willingness to pitch in other roles before, notably in 2013-14 when Rafael Soriano saved 75 games for the Nationals. 

There's also incentive for Papelbon to keep his job as a closer because his contract includes a $13 million vesting option if he finishes 55 games in 2015 or a combined 100 games in 2014-15.

The Nationals would have to decide if Papelbon is worth that kind of financial investment, to say nothing of what they would have to give Philadelphia in return. They are trying to hold off the New York Mets in the division, but their problem is more on offense. 

Washington ranks 16th in runs scored, and players not named Bryce Harper have combined to hit a total of 69 home runs in 97 games. 

Perhaps the market for bats is such that the Nationals just want to see if they can pitch opponents into submission instead of paying a more substantial price for someone who can impact the lineup. 

Colorado's "For Sale" Sign Is Up

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

With the previously mentioned Tulowitzki deal, it's clear the Colorado Rockies have finally accepted the need to free up long-term salary commitments and rebuild through their young talent in the big leagues and farm system. 

The next logical candidate for the Rockies to deal is Carlos Gonzalez, which people in the organization expect to happen, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. 

"They expect to move him," one general manager told Heyman. 

As far as potential landing spots for CarGo, Heyman noted the Mets, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles are teams that have been most active in their pursuit of outfielders. 

The Angels already made a move to address that area, acquiring Shane Victorino from Boston, per Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. 

The Mets would make sense simply because of how inept their offense has been, ranking 29th in runs scored, but Gonzalez is due to make $37 million combined in 2016 and 2017. 

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson did say in a press conference recently, via Joe Trezza of MLB.com, the team does have the resources to take on a player with a big contract. But at what point is there a limit? And what does it trade?

In the same press conference, Alderson said the Mets aren't trading Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz to get offensive help. That's certainly a justifiable stance, but it doesn't give them a lot of leverage in trade discussions. 

The Orioles need more pop from their outfield. Adam Jones has 15 home runs, but Travis Snider, David Lough and Alejandro De Aza have combined for 10 in 469 at-bats. 

Yet Gonzalez is a frustrating player. He's certainly talented and just 29 years old, but he's got an OPS against left-handed pitching this season of .398 and a career on-base percentage against southpaws of .311. 

Gonzalez is a platoon player being paid like an All-Star outfielder. That's going to hinder his value, but a desperate team seeking left-handed pop will pony up a solid offer. It won't be as good as what Colorado may have gotten in 2012-13, but getting out from under his contract may be enough incentive for the front office. 

Stats and contract info via Baseball-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.