It seems only a matter of time before the Philadelphia Phillies trade Cole Hamels. As the ace starting pitcher took the mound for the first time this spring, the rumors continued to swirl. Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweeted about the most recent buzz surrounding Hamels.
With Yu Darvish now out of action for an extended period, it would make sense for the Texas Rangers to crank up their interest in Hamels. The Rangers are built to win now, and not having Darvish creates a huge hole in the front of the team’s rotation.
Hamels would have been perhaps the piece that could push the Rangers to the top of the American League West if he had joined Darvish. Adding him now might be necessary to keep Texas competitive in what could be the major league’s toughest division.
Texas Not Interested in Dillon Gee?
The New York Mets appear to be dangling Dillon Gee for interested teams, but according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, don’t count the Rangers among the interested teams.
Gee was 7-8 in 2014 with a 4.00 ERA. He’s a solid middle-to-end-of-the-rotation guy but clearly not the type of pitcher who projects as a major difference-maker in the rotation. If the rumors from Heyman and Silverman are accurate, the Rangers are only interested in acquiring an ace.
If Gee is going to be moved, it’s more likely going to be to a team who is looking to add depth to the back end of its rotation.
Padres, Braves and Dodgers Favorites to Land Hector Oliveira
According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, Cuban infield prospect Hector Oliveira is on the radar of several teams, but the 26-year-old second baseman is most likely to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres or Atlanta Braves.
The Padres would seemingly have the biggest immediate need at the position. The team’s current second baseman is Jedd Gyorko. While he’s a solid clubhouse guy, he doesn‘t offer the overall impact that Oliveira would. Gyorko is hit .210 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 2014.
There are some injury concerns with Oliveira. A blood clot cost him time while still in Cuba but since recovering and leaving his native country, scouts have been impressed with him. Badler writes:
He’s strong—heavier and stronger than the last time scouts saw him—and he’s shown well at all of his open showcases and several private workouts. Teams won’t have all the answers they want about Olivera because even he doesn’t know for certain how he will respond to having to play the field every day over a 162-game season. But the bat speed is still there, the swing is intact and he’s shown he still has a polished hitting approach with the ability to drive all types of pitches. There’s still risk, but he’s done just about all he can to show teams that the talent that excited scouts years ago is still there.
With the recent success of Cuban players like Jose Abreu and Yasiel Puig, there’s seemingly an increasing level of comfort with throwing large amounts of cash at young Cuban free agents. Oliveira looks to be next on the list of players from Cuba ready to get paid in the major leagues.
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