Report: Rangers have remained in contact with Phillies about Hamels

The Texas Rangers continue to have dialogue with the Philadelphia Phillies about a potential trade for Cole Hamels, but the $96 million guaranteed to the 31-year-old left-hander over the next four seasons remains an issue, according to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.

The Rangers have committed more than $117 million towards their 2015 payroll and have already invested upwards of $80 million for both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. As such, the Rangers would require the Phillies to defray some portion of the money remaining on Hamels' contract - a percentage that's contingent upon which prospects the Rangers are willing to send to Philadelphia in exchange for the three-time All-Star.

The Rangers, though, are one of the nine teams to which Hamels can be traded without his permission, and the nine-year veteran would dramatically improve a rotation that was decimated by injuries last season. The Rangers used 15 starters over the course of the season, and only one member of the rotation logged more than 150 innings. The unfortunate spate of injuries that befell the starting corps contributed heavily to the Rangers' 67-95 record - their worst since 1985.

Hamels, a first-round pick in 2002, authored a career-best 2.46 ERA (151 ERA+) with a 1.15 WHIP over 30 starts in 2014. The Phillies, however, may have trouble finding a team willing to concede to their trade demands as WEEI's Rob Bradford reported Thursday that the club remains "unrealistic in their expectations."