Cole Hamels is finally getting traded. After having him on the block for the better part of the last few years, the Phillies have finally struck a deal to send Hamels to Texas, with the Rangers trading from their prospect stockpile to add a starter who they hope will help them get back to winning baseball in 2016. The deal, as reported by Evan Grant:

FInal deal and its a doozy: Matt Harrison, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro & Jake Thompson for Hamels+Diekman+Cash.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) July 30, 2015

In Thompson, Alfaro, Williams, Eickhoff, and Alec Asher, the Phillies get Kiley McDaniels pre-season #3, #4, #9, #17, and #23 prospects in the Rangers system, though that certainly underrates Williams, who has taken a significant step forward in Double-A this year. Thompson, Alfaro, and Williams are all likely 50 or 55 FV guys — Kiley will have his write-ups on the full return soon — who will probably rate in the back half of next year’s Top 100 lists, while Eickhoff and Asher are more depth pieces than impact talents. Harrison is in the deal to off-set some of Hamels remaining salary, so while the Phillies are also said to be including cash, I’d expect that the bulk of the pay-down of his deal comes in the form of taking the $28 million Harrison is still owed over the next two seasons.

The Rangers land a high-quality starter under control for the next three years at a discounted salary (especially when subtracting Harrison’s cost is factored in), giving them a leg up on improving their 2016 team without having to enter the bidding war for the free agent starters this winter. The Phillies finally kick off their rebuild with three solid prospects and a few depth pieces, though not the single elite talent they had been seeking previously. While I remain somewhat skeptical about the Rangers ability to turn their current roster into a strong 2016 contender, for this price, this is a deal worth making. And the Phillies had to move on from the endless speculation, so it was time to take the best deal on the table, which is what Ruben Amaro finally did.