Cole Hamels rumor mill is heating up with Phillies in position to sell

The Cole Hamels rumor mill promises to be piping hot over these next few weeks.

The 31-year-old left-hander missed his last start with tightness in his right hamstring but he's good to go for the Phillies on Wednesday and there are many teams keenly interested in watching him pitch.

With the trade deadline now just over five weeks away, get used to seeing Hamels' name in the headlines. Philadelphia has the worst record in baseball at 26-47 and it seems that the long rumored Hamels trade is becoming increasingly inevitable. Hamels said before the season he hoped to pitch for a contender.

Here's the latest: The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago Cubs have all been recently linked to Hamels, who has been great this season despite his team's struggles posting a 2.96 ERA and strong peripheral numbers.

According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, Philadelphia had a scout at the Rangers game Tuesday night. Don't count out the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers either. Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Dodgers have sent one of their top men to watch Hamels against the Yankees on Wednesday.

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As we know, Hamels isn't just a rental player. His contract expires in 2018 and he's owed a lot of money during that time. He also has veto power on where goes and the Phillies are expecting a huge haul of established players and top prospects in return.

There are already reports out there that Hamels will block a trade to Houston but would be A-OK with a move to New York or Texas.

How will these factors affect Ruben Amaro's ability to get the best possible package for his star pitcher? How will these factors change as the deadline nears? Considering the number of teams interested in acquiring Hamels, you have to think the negotiations will get pretty heated.

Every Hamels start from here until July 31 will be one to watch. Each time he steps out on the mound with the Phillies could be the last time and most teams around the majors want Hamels to pitch in their uniform for the first time. Buckle up, everyone. We're just getting started here.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr