Rangers on verge of deal to land Cole Hamels, source says

— -- The Texas Rangers were nearing a deal Wednesday night with the Philadelphia Phillies for left-handed ace Cole Hamels, a source told ESPN's Jayson Stark.

The Rangers would also be getting left-handed reliever  Jake Diekman in trade for top catching prospect Jorge Alfaro, minor league outfielder Nick Williams and minor league right-hander Alec Asher, sources told ESPN's Jim Bowden.

The Phillies had told several teams interested in acquiring Hamels that they'd like to get their "best" offers by Wednesday, sources previously told ESPN.

The Phillies have continued to speak with a large number of teams about Hamels, a group known to also include the Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, Astros, Diamondbacks, Yankees and Red Sox.

However, sources said that in the case of about half of that group, the Phillies had initiated those talks in an attempt to reopen discussion about players whom those clubs had said previously they'd be unwilling to trade.

Hamels' next start was scheduled for Thursday against the  Braves, the night before the deadline, but that is being pushed back one day until after Friday's 4 p.m. trade deadline has passed.

Hamels threw a season-high 129 pitches in Sunday's no-hitter over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He is 6-7 with a 3.64 ERA in 20 starts.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.