Tuesday night, Texas Rangers southpaw Cole Hamels stymied the powerful New York Yankees (TEX 6, NYY 4), holding the Bronx Bombers to two solo home runs in seven otherwise excellent innings. He struck out seven and allowed only six balls to be hit out of the infield.

For the Yankees, Tuesday's game was a chance to get a firsthand look at a potential trade deadline target. The Rangers are very bad -- they have the sixth worst record (19-31) and fifth worst run differential (minus-64) in baseball -- and Hamels is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, so it stands to reason he'll be made available at the trade deadline. The Yankees need another starter and Hamels could be a fit.

As for Hamels, Tuesday's game was another strong start in a recent string of strong starts. Strong starts against the best teams the American League has to offer too. Check out his last four games:

IP

H

R

ER

BB

K

HR

April 30 @ Indians

5

4

2

1

3

8

0

May 5 vs. Red Sox

6

5

3

2

2

5

1

May 11 @ Astros

6

1

0

0

3

5

0

May 22 vs. Yankees

7

4

2

2

2

7

2

Neck stiffness forced Hamels to skip a start recently, hence the long layoff between those Astros and Yankees starts, but he showed no ill-effects Tuesday night. He generated strikeouts and lots of weak contact against the highest scoring team in baseball. It was a vintage Hamels performance.

Overall this season Hamels owns a 3.38 ERA and a 9.82 K/9 -- it is his highest strikeout rate since he was in his prime with the Philadelphia Phillies -- in 10 starts and 58 2/3 innings. There are three things to know about him leading up to the trade deadline.

He's added a new pitch

Hamels has long been a tinkerer. Back in the day he came up to the big leagues as a fastball/changeup pitcher. Over the years he's added a curveball, a cutter, and a sinker. This year he's added a slider as well. Check out his year-by-year pitch usage:

cole-hamels-pitch-selection.png
Cole Hamels has added yet another new pitch to his arsenal this year. USATSI

You can see the new pitches being added at different points of his career. Hamels added the cutter in 2010, the sinker in 2012, and now the slider in 2018. The slider is something he worked to add in spring training. Here's what Hamels told Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News back in March:

"I'm trying to get the Kershaw slider," said Hamels, referring to Los Angeles Dodgers ace and Highland Park resident Clayton Kershaw. "If I can get that, my strikeout rate might go up."

Manager Jeff Banister said he liked to look of the pitch. He is in favor Hamels adding the slider because it gives him another power pitch that can produce strikeouts.

Hamels doesn't use the slider a ton. He's thrown 52 total this season, but 43 of the 52 have been thrown in two-strike counts. Given the new two-strike slider, it is not a coincidence his strikeout rate went from a career low 6.39 K/9 last year to this year's 9.82 K/9 mark. The new slider is a tangible reason to believe this year's rebound -- Hamels had a 4.20 ERA last season -- is legitimate and not merely an early season fluke.

Hamels is not necessarily a rental

Hamels will make $23.5 million this season, in the final guaranteed year of his contract. There is, however, an option in his contract for 2019. The option terms:

  • $24 million option that vests with 400 innings from 2017-18 and 200 innings in 2018.
  • $20 million club option with a $6 million buyout.

The option is not going to vest. Hamels was limited to 148 innings by an oblique injury last year, so unless he throws 252 innings this year -- Justin Verlander is the last pitcher to throw 250 innings in a season (251 in 2011) -- the option won't vest. That $24 million vesting option is a non-factor.

MLB: New York Yankees at Texas Rangers
Cole Hamels could be an addition for 2019 as well. USATSI

The $20 million club option does have some appeal, however. Getting a pitcher of this caliber on what amounts to a one-year deal worth $20 million for 2019 is pretty darn good. Think what'll it take to sign a comparable pitcher like Dallas Keuchel as a free agent over the winter. Hamels could be a rental, or he could be a 1 1/2 year pickup for a contending team.

He does have a no-trade clause

Specifically, Hamels has a 20-team no-trade list. Here are the nine teams he can not block a trade to this year:

Hamels can block trades to many contenders, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Brewers. That does not necessarily mean Hamels does not want to pitch for those teams, however. Here's what Hamels told NJ.com's Randy Miller about having the Yankees on his no-trade list, emphasis mine:

"It's just a list. Really, it's just kind of like heads up. So I think what it really comes down to is it's something that's there. It just kind of provides a little bit more information, a little bit more bargaining power. That's kind of really what that entails. But at the end of the day, situations kind of come up and I think everybody understands what can transpire. It's just kind of a formality. I don't think it's anything that kind of needs to be looked into too deeply. I love it here (in Texas) and I'd love to be able to win here. But if management changes the direction, (getting traded) is just an opportunity to win and get to October. I think that's the real baseball. That's kind of where you test your skills the most." 

Players will include contending and big market teams on their no-trade list because they are usually the teams most willing to pay to get the player to waive his no-trade clause. Hamels could seek some sort of compensation in exchange for agreeing to a trade, such as his new team guaranteeing his $20 million club option for 2019. That's a fairly common request. Pick up my option and I'll accept a trade.

The no-trade clause is not necessarily a dealbreaker. Hamels made it clear he would welcome a trade to a contending team. The no-trade clause is just something that has to be worked through, and who knows, maybe Hamels won't want anything in return at all. Players want control over their situations -- no one likes being uprooted and traded in-season -- and Hamels has it to some degree.

Because the Yankees are in town, Hamels was asked about a potential trade to New York, a question he ducked with veteran savvy. He joked he's already helped the Yankees win one World Series with his ugly Game 3 performance in 2009 -- "Shoot, I helped them get a World Series in '09, so I'm sure (the fans) like me!," he said to Miller -- but otherwise said he wants the challenge of pitching in the postseason again.

The trade market has not yet started to heat up -- that usually happens after the amateur draft in early June -- though Hamels is an obvious trade candidate, and it is very possible he will be the top starter on the market this summer. Quality left-handers are always in demand, especially those with good postseason track records and no history of arm problems. Hamels has a new pitch this season that's allowed him to rack up strikeouts, and he's pitched very well against the four best teams in the AL in his last four starts.

At this point, it feels like a matter of when the Rangers will trade Hamels, not if. He could net the team a nice prospect package as they rebuild and help put a contender over the top. And right now, his trade stock is on the rise.