Trade Idea Series PT 1: Cole Hamels Blockbuster to the Rangers

Cole Hamels is the best pitcher on the trading block right now. He is only 28 and in a contract year, only 5 months away from signing a contract worth well over $100 million. He has some great stuff combined with determination and the old school pitching style and grit. When the Phillies start actively shopping him, they are assured to be berated by offers from other teams that want Hamels leading them down the last stretch of the season. Some teams may want to complete a trade only if Hamels signs an extension, so that may hamper the trade package that the Phillies will receive for him. In my opinion, there are 6 teams that will actively pursue and try to acquire him. I am only excluding the Nationals because of the incident with Hamels earlier in the year with Harper. The teams include the Rangers, Dodgers, and the Yankees.

Rangers:
The Rangers are always in the market for improvements even though they have the most formidable team in the league. It is already rumored that they have scouts at the games of the top market stocks in Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels. The Phillies are getting close to the point where they might be selling off their aging stars that are about to hit free agency and maybe even the ones that are under contract for a couple more years(ie Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz, Joe Blanton)

Here is my trade proposal...

LHP Cole Hamels to the Rangers for LHP Martin Perez, 3B Mike Olt, RHP Neil Ramirez, RHP Tanner Scheppers, C Jorge Alfaro

This is a pretty hefty package for what might only be a half season rental of Cole Hamels, but the Rangers are not afraid to make big impact moves to improve their ball club down the stretch and make moves that will matter mostly in the playoffs. They have made a move similar to what I have proposed for Hamels when they traded for Cliff Lee. The Rangers are itching for their first World Series championship, and they will make sure every facet of their team is as solid as can be going into the playoffs so they do not falter again as they have the past two years.

The Phillies are starting to age, and the chances of them resigning Hamels seem to get smaller and smaller as each day passes. The Phillies are getting old, and this year is showing what weaknesses they have and what they need to improve to keep in the running with the NL East, which seems to get more competitive every week. They have said that they want a 3rd basemen, catcher, and high upside pitcher, and this trade brings in all three. It would be wise for them to trade Hamels and shore up their franchise instead of waiting until the offseason where there is a high chance that they will not resign him.

Trade Idea: Matt Garza to the Tigers

Whether Cubs' fans and management want to say it, the Cubs are on full rebuilding mode right now. Epstein has made a point that he wants to keep Garza, but if the right trade comes along, he will pull the trigger and send Garza packing.

The Tigers have made it to the playoffs and are making a big impact and developing their team into an AL Central Dynasty. They added one of the biggest and baddest slugging first basemen, Prince Fielder, and may be looking to consolidate their rotation to make another push and guarantee a playoff spot. They might also want to add a bullpen piece in this trade and the Cubs have many that they can salvage for prospects.

The Cubs want to add depth to their minor leagues and get some legitimate prospects to fill their farm system. As mentioned above, they have both starting pitchers and bullpen pitchers that they can send away for a couple of prospects. This makes them and the Tigers almost perfect trading partners. Matt Garza has $9.5 Million on his contract for next year, but the Cubs might not have to eat much, if any, to the Tigers, because they are going all in now, and might not really mind adding that much for a strong starting pitcher. The Cubs might want to absorb some salary to get more prospects in the trade.

Here is my trade proposal(s)...

Matt Garza and $4 Million to the Tigers for Jacob Turner, Kevin Eichhorn, and Adam Wilk
or
Matt Garza, Jeff Samardzija, and $4 Million to the Tigers for Jacob Turner, Don Kelley, Casey Crosby, and Adam Wilk

I think both trades would be fairly even considering the amount that Epstein is asking for each and the equal want of Mike Illitch to win a World Series before he dies. The Cubs free up a little money, and acquire good pitching prospects in both trades, and even get a very useful utility man in Kelley if they include a bullpen piece. If the Tigers want to make more strides, I think they really need another starting pitcher to consolidate and make a 1-2-3-4 punch in their rotation. They will have to make a commitment to Garza after the season if he performs well, and they might get burdened with the asking prices that Edwin Jackson had demanded earlier this offseason.