Texas Rangers rumors: Cole Hamels to Texas the favorite

Texas Rangers rumors:  Cole Hamels trade talk continues to swirl, with the trade deadline just five days away, and we have some new tidbits this morning.

Ken Rosenthal tweets that there is "momentum building" towards a Hamels deal in the aftermath of Hamels' no-hitter yesterday, although I have my doubts that Hamels throwing a no-hitter, rather than, say, a 7 inning, 5 hit, 1 run game, really is a factor.

Rosenthal lists the Rangers as one of five teams with recent interest in Hamels, together with the Yankees, Cubs, Giants and Dodgers.

Jeff Passan just tweeted that "industry consensus" has the Rangers as the favorites to land Hamels, given their long-term interest in him and the prospects they have to deal.

Hamels is under contract through 2018 at $22.5 million per year, with a vesting option for 2019 that includes a buyout.  The Rangers have been interested in Hamels for quite some time, and adding him would be less of a "win now" move and more of a "win going forward" move -- trading Hamels wouldn't preclude a Yovani Gallardo deal, for example, and might make a Gallardo deal more likely.