Cole Hamels is the answer to New York Yankees pitching needs

Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels believes he is the missing piece to the New York Yankees pitching puzzle.

The New York Yankees currently lack depth when it comes to starting pitchers and Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels is the answer to the problem.

According to Jon Heyman of FRS Baseball, Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays, Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers, Danny Duffy of the Kansas City Royals, Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants are also possibilities. Bumgarner will most likely stay with the Giants and Tampa won’t help out the Yankees by sending them Archer.

While the Yankees have the best record in baseball at 31-13, they might not make it to the World Series if they don’t get another ace besides Luis Severino. Masahiro Tanaka has been struggling, Jordan Montgomery is out with an injury, Sonny Gray is just starting to turn things around, and Domingo German is just starting out.

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Hamels is 2-4 with a 3.48 ERA and has 57 strikeouts this season. Of all of the pitchers listed above, Hamels is the best one. However, whether the Yankees acquire Hamels or not will depend on if they can afford him. The Rangers pitcher’s contract contains a $20 million option for 2019 with a $6 million buyout and the Yankees don’t want to exceed the $197 million luxury tax threshold, according to Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News.

The Rangers pitcher believes that Yankees fans would like him and want to see him in New York.

“Shoot, I helped them get a World Series in ‘09, so I’m sure they like me,” Hamels told Randy Miller of NJ.com. “No, no. I understand it. It’s kind of the nature of what happens and I think anytime you get traded once, you understand that the possibilities are there. And as you get older if you’re able to play well and keep of what I know I’m capable of doing, then it’s each year you could be on a different team hunting down a postseason. So it’s kind of the nature of where I think I am in my career and in the contract and in the situation. [The Yankees] have a tremendous team. So really looking at them, it’s some of the best baseball is now being able to watch the Yankees and Boston and I think that’s just exciting for baseball fans in general and the game and the scope of it now creates with that drama that they’ve always had in their history. It’s been good to see.”

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Cole Hamels, who won a World Series title with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, wants to win another World Series ring. The Yankees are his best chance to win another championship as the Rangers are struggling. Hamels will start Tuesday’s game against the Yankees so the front office can see him in action. Maybe after Tuesday’s game, the New York Yankees will decide that Hamels is a perfect fit for them.

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