Cole could fuel Yankee run

“I love it here and I’d love to be able to win here,” Hamels said. “But if management changes the direction, getting traded is just an opportunity to win and get to October. I think that’s the real baseball. That’s kind of where you test your skills the most.”

Hamels is still sick about how Game 3 of the 2009 World Series transpired — when he faltered against the Yankees in a loss that gave the Bombers a 2-1 series lead. “Shoot, I helped them get a World Series in 2009, so I’m sure they’d like me,” Hamels joked.

Hamels is owed $22.5 million this season, so the Rangers would have to eat some of that in a potential trade with the Yankees, who aren’t budging on their ownership mandate to stay under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold. Hamels also has a $20 million option for 2019 with a $6 million buyout.

Regardless, he could be a guy who costs less in terms of prospects and could potentially provide a Justin Verlander-like impact, albeit with lesser stuff.

In a perfect world, the Diamondbacks would continue to lose, making Yankee fan Patrick Corbin available. But that may not be realistic, and who knows what the starting pitching market will look like by July 31.

Either way, the Yankees continue to mash — with their 21-year-old rookie wunderkind at the center of it all.

Torres, the best No. 9 hitter in all of baseball, blasted a pair of homers off Bartolo Colon, who is old enough to be Torres’ dad, no less. In his first 25 MLB games, he’s hitting .321 with six homers — all of them going over 400 feet.

Eventually, Torres is going to be moved up in the lineup. But the way he’s hitting right now, Aaron Boone likes Torres right where he is.

“I mean, I feel like (the No. 9 spot) on our team, it’s a more valuable slot in our order,” Boone said. “I feel like with our guys at the top I just feel like it’s an important slot in the order. That said, I’m always considering a time when to move him up but I just think he’s been so dynamic down there it’s just seemed like such an important part of the order that I really like him down there for now.” he Yankees continue to beat up on average pitching, belting 14 homers and scoring 28 runs in their last three games. They’re 22-4 in their last 26, an MLB-best 31-13 overall. They lead the majors in runs scored (264) and homers (72). It allows them to get by with their own average starting pitcher — Tanaka — on the mound once every five days.

We’ll see how long that lasts, or whether the Yanks turn to someone else like Hamels to help them along.

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