Texas Rangers Playoff Rotation: Cole Hamels Trade Will Pay Dividends A Year Earlier Than Expected [VIDEO]

The Rangers traded for Cole Hamels on July 31 in a move that appeared to shore up the top of their rotation for 2016, but the club has since surged into first place in the AL West and appears to be headed toward the playoffs.

When Texas acquired the left-hander from the Phillies, it was seven games behind Houston in the AL West and three games out of the final wild-card spot. Following their 14-3 decimation of the Astros Wednesday night, the Rangers are in a position to sweep the four-game series from their rivals Thursday and currently own a 1 1/2-game lead atop the division standings.

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The trade with Philadelphia for Hamels seemed to be a move to bolster next year's rotation and give Texas a solid 1-2 punch with Hamels and Yu Darvish, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Now, the deal means much more than that.

If the Rangers end up forking the AL West lead over to the Astros and settle for a wild-card position, Hamels has to be their go-to starter in a do-or-die game. Even if Texas holds onto the division lead, Hamels has to trot out there to start ALDS Game 1, regardless of the opponent.

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The Rangers went out and landed Hamels for just this reason as the 2008 World Series champion is expected to be their anchor in big games. Since the trade, Hamels is 3-1 with an underwhelming 4.04 ERA, but his experience and postseason numbers (7-4, 3.09) make it a no-brainer for him to get the ball to start whatever playoff scenario Texas ends up in.

The lefty is coming off of an outing where he received a no-decision against the Astros by yielding three runs on seven hits in seven innings. He also committed a balk that led to a Houston run in the game.

Beyond Hamels, the recently-returned Derek Holland (3-2, 3.77) and Yovani Gallardo (12-10, 3.55 ERA) are also likely locked into the rotation for the playoffs. Holland gave up five runs to the Astros on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings in his last outing, earning a no-decision in the club's 6-5 win.

Gallardo had a rough outing against the A's last time out, but has been good enough overall to earn a spot despite concerns with his pitch-count and ability to go deep in games.

The final rotation spot is for the taking between Martin Perez (3-5, 4.96) and Colby Lewis (15-8, 4.45 ERA). Perez gave up 10 hits to the Astros Wednesday, but still won due to the offense exploding for 14 runs. Lewis has the edge due to being a workhorse, and his 15 wins rank third in the AL. The right-hander also has postseason experience, pitching to a 4-1 record with a 2.34 ERA. It also gives a balance of two lefties and two righties.

The Rangers starting pitching has been a lot better of late, with the team allowing 4.8 runs per game through Aug. 2 and 3.9 since that point.

Here is our breakdown of the projected playoff rotation:

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