Yankees might have interest in Hamels trade

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers are still trying to gauge the trade market and see if there is any interest in pitcher Cole Hamels.
The Yankees could be the Rangers' best chance of moving Hamels before the 3 p.m. CT Tuesday non-waiver Trade Deadline. The Yankees have landed reliever Zach Britton but remain in the market for a starting pitcher.
"We're going to continue to evaluate," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said after acquiring Britton from the Orioles. "We'd certainly love to add to the rotation, but at the same time, we're evaluating the available players in the marketplace. … We have some alternatives with a strong 'pen. That's something that we're analyzing with the price tags that are being thrown our way on starting pitching options. It's good that we reinforced the 'pen, and it makes a strong fallback position for us."
Sources acknowledged that Hamels is one of the pitchers the Yankees are evaluating although this has been a difficult stretch for him. Hamels is 1-3 with a 10.23 ERA in his last five starts while his overall 4.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP are the highest of his career. Despite Hamels' struggles, sources said there is still some interest in Hamels on the trade front although it might go down to Tuesday's Deadline.
The starting pitching market is starting to heat up with the Red Sox acquiring right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays on Wednesday. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Wednesday that the Blue Jays were getting close to trading left-hander J.A. Happ to a contending team. Like Hamels, Happ has been prominently mentioned as a pitcher available for trade.
Hamels is making $22.5 million this season with a club option of $20 million next year and a $6 million option. The Rangers have made it clear they are willing to help with the financial obligations if it increases the quality of players brought back in the trade.
Hamels is scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Astros in Houston. It will be his last start before the Trade Deadline, but a deal is still possible in August. There is a strong chance Hamels would clear the necessary waivers, but the Rangers could also work out a deal with the team that claims him.
Rangers beat
• Right-hander Brett Eibner, a former outfielder with the Dodgers, Royals and Athletics, is trying to make a comeback as a pitcher in the Rangers organization and pitched a scoreless inning in his professional debut on Tuesday with the Arizona Rookie League Rangers. He struck out two.
• Closer Keone Kela threw 40 pitches on Tuesday, his most in 179 Major League appearances over the past four seasons. He was not expected to be available for Wednesday's game.
• Despite being limited by injuries, Adrián Beltré went into Wednesday's games tied for the AL lead with seven sacrifice flies.