Phillies trade pitcher Cole Hamels to Rangers

The much-rumored Phillies ace Cole Hamels has been traded to the Rangers, CBSSports Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports. Four prospects are heading to Philadelphia. Other players appear to be involved in the trade as well.

The lefty Hamels, 31, has pitched to a 3.64 ERA and 3.51 K/BB ratio this season. For his career, he owns an ERA+ of 124 across parts of 10 big-league seasons. Four times he’s finished in the top 10 of the NL Cy Young balloting.

Hamels is owed the balance of a $23.5-million salary this season. Through 2018, he’s owed, at minimum, another $76.5 million. The Rangers aren’t completely out of the race this year, though acquiring Hamels is clearly geared towards the future. They want to pair him with Yu Darvish going forward.

The four prospects heading to the Phillies are catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielders Nick Williams and Alex Asher, and right-hander Jerad Eickhoff. According to Baseball America‘s preseason rankings, Alfaro, Williams and Asher are the Nos. 3, 5 and 13 best prospects in the Rangers’ system. Eickhoff did not rank among the team’s top 30 prospects.

More to come …

The Rangers won the Cole Hamels sweepstakes on Wednesday. (USATSI)

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