REPORT: Cubs Are Frontrunners To Trade For Cole Hamels

All right, so this is going to be a quick breakdown of the Cole Hamels to Chicago Cubs trade rumors. It started back in Hamels' previous start, when several teams were in attendance scouting him. The Cubs were part of the group and one of the teams that aren't on his no-trade list.

Then, today things really picked up as Joel Sherman first reported the following.

The connection between the Cubs and Hamels didn't stop there, as more reports came in.

There are still several teams in the mix, but according to Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs are the frontrunners to land him.

Yet, this is another reminder that there is no such thing as being in first place during the chase of trying to trade for a player. You either get him, or you don't. Nonetheless, the Cubs certainly appear serious about their intention to acquire Hamels.

Combined with the remaining salary of his $20 million this season, Hamels still has a $20 million option for 2019, that includes a $6 million buyout.

At this point, the Cubs just need Hamels to not be Tyler Chatwood. We've seen the home/road splits for Hamels and he's not as bad as the 6+ ERA in Texas and not as good as the sub-3 ERA on the road. If the Cubs do trade for Hamels. they just need quality starts from him and provide some insurance if Yu Darvish isn't able to contribute this year.

At the very least Hamels gives you more confidence than trotting Chatwood out every fifth day. UPDATE