Although the Texas Rangers have acquired Yovani Gallardo in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, he wasn’t their initial target as Texas attempted to trade for Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies.
That’s the word from Jon Morosi who says both the Rangers and Phillies had in-depth talks on a deal though couldn’t find a middle ground.
#Rangers and #Phillies had in-depth trade talks on Cole Hamels before Texas agreed to Yovani Gallardo trade, source says.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 19, 2015
The Rangers had been one of the teams recently linked to Cole Hamels along with other suitors like the San Diego Padres, so their interest in the southpaw isn’t exactly earth shattering news. The fact that they actually attempted to pull off a deal however does suggest the Phillies are seriously willing to move their ace.
As for Texas, they were able to secure Yovani Gallardo for Luis Sardinas and right-handers Corey Knebel and Marcos Diplan, which wasn’t nearly the haul they would have had to give up if they would have acquired Cole Hamels. That may not have the fan base jumping for joy, but they also didn’t have to gut their farm system either.
Philadelphia is said to seek three elite level prospects for Hamels.
