Rangers acquire LHP Cole Hamels and LHP Jake Diskman and cash from the Phillies for LHP Matt Harrison, C Jorge Alfaro, RHP Jerad Eickhoff, OF Nick Williams, RHP Alec Asher and RHP Jake Thompson (2015)
This trade is a little different then the two previous. The Rangers weren’t quite pushing for an immediate World Series run with this trade. Instead this was a trade for the future of hopeful competition, as they brought in a potential front end starter in Cole Hamels. Ace may not be the word we put next to Hamels currently. Although, he is a number two starter many teams would love to have.
To get a pitcher of Hamels quality you have to pay a big price. That price was 6 prospects that went the Phillies way. Three of those prospects were considered the Ranger’s best in C Jorge Alfara, RHP Jake Thompson, and OF Nick Williams. Interestingly, the author of the above linked SI article considered none of the prospects as future stars.
This was a very aggressive move by the Rangers. What I continue to like is that this was a player with a long term contract. It is pretty obvious that Hamels paired with Yu Darvish has helped create a foundation for a competitive rotation.
Next: Minnesota Twins: Ervin Santana Gives Up Just Two Runs
In conclusion, as a Twins fan I find two things encouraging about this brief glimpse into some trades Falvey and Levine were to some level involved in. First, many of the trades targeted guys that they would bring into their clubhouse for several seasons. Secondly, when their team was close to a World Series run, they weren’t afraid to pull the trigger on a deal to help the dream become a reality. Finally, this deadline will help us see where the two new leaders of the club believe the 2017 Twins are on their road to postseason relevancy.