Phillies want 'best' offers for Cole Hamels by Wednesday

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

The team would then make a decision about where -- and whether -- to trade him.

The Phillies have continued to speak with a large number of teams -- a group known to include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox -- about Hamels.

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

Sources have confirmed that the Astros have made a late push to acquire Hamels since the Phillies ace pitched a no-hitter last Saturday. However, Hamels can block a trade to Houston, and the Astros have been given no assurance in recent days that that stance has changed.

The Giants, who scouted Hamels' no-hitter, also continue to talk to the Phillies, but they still appear to be having a hard time meeting the Phillies' asking price. One source's description of those talks Tuesday morning consisted of two words: "Nothing happening."

Clubs speaking to the Phillies believe they have reached the stage where they're attempting to "work through" all their options with ownership and are "trying to decide what they want to do," according to sources. However, those teams believe the Phillies intend to deal their ace before Friday's 4 p.m. ET trading deadline unless they decide none of the offers brings them enough in return, whereupon they would resume trying to trade him in the offseason.

Hamels' next start was scheduled for Thursday against theBraves, 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.

If Hamels is still with Philadelphia after the deadline, he would face the Braves on Friday night.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.