Cleveland Indians: Could Cole Hamels be traded to Cleveland in 2018?

The Rangers’ potential dilemma

If indeed the Rangers’ season goes south in a hurry, their front office will face a bit of a conundrum. Hamels’ contract includes a $20-million club option for 2019, and a $6-million buyout if the team chooses not to exercise it.

With most of the AL West potentially trending up, will the Rangers want to hold onto a 35-year-old pitcher with a $20-million price tag? If they’re out of the hunt by July, it’d be wise to let another team make that decision.

A big-market contender might decide the $20 million is worth it for one more year. Another team might eat the $6 million and let him walk. Either way, if the Rangers see the writing on the wall, it makes little sense to forego the opportunity to move him at the deadline and get something in return.

Indians lack a lefty

The Tribe had the best pitching staff in baseball last season, so the absence of a left-handed starter is not exactly an insurmountable roadblock. That said, the Cleveland Indians aren’t completely without question marks in a starting rotation that happens to be comprised entirely of righties.

The top of the rotation is set with Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer figures once again to be the third starter. Following those three, there is a logjam for the final two spots that includes Josh Tomlin, Danny Salazar and Mike Clevinger.

Clevinger went on a tear late in 2017 in which he allowed zero runs in three consecutive starts (18 total innings). It would be nice for Indians fans to bank on similar stretches out of him in 2018, but he’s still young and relatively inexperienced.

Tomlin is a gamer who rarely walks batters, but his career ERA of 4.65 is no accident. He pitches to contact, and in a league in which home runs have become historically abundant, that’s cause for concern.

Salazar has such a wide spectrum of outcomes that it’s nearly impossible to know which version of him will take the mound on a given night.

What’s more, the Cleveland Indians know all too well what a couple of ill-timed injuries can do to a pitching staff. As the old saying goes, when you think you have enough pitching, it’s time to add another pitcher.

Of course, with the exception of an absolute maelstrom of DL stints, none of these potential question marks figure to cripple the Indians during the regular season. They will be fine getting by on the the backs of the top three and hoping for the best from the others.

When Hamels will really become valuable to the Tribe is at a time when many seem to think their real season will begin: October. Hamels offers the Indians a different look for opposing batters as a lefty in the middle of the rotation as they head down the home stretch in September. But in October, he’s a solid, veteran Game 3 starter.