The David Price trade rumors will start heating up once the season pushes into the last week of July and now that time is almost here and teams like the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, St Louis Cardinals and NY Yankees could be potential targets for the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline, as all of those teams need pitching and Price is the top name on the market.
Price has been under the trade rumor gun all season and that continued from the winter when everyone though he would be traded and now it could go down. According to Jon Heyman at CBS, Price is the main target for a number of teams and the Mariners could be in line to make the deal, along with the Cardinals and Dodgers. The Mariners and Rays have been talking about Ben Zobrist and Price, but that deal would likely mean prospects like Taijuan Walker and Nick Franklin moving.
Price is pitching very well this season and that has only made him more valuable and chances are the Rays will not give him up without a major package. The Mariners also have Chris Taylor and DJ Peterson, but they do not want to give up those names. The Mariners are not as worried as other teams about Price not signing, as they feel having him this year and next season would be good enough and then they could get a draft pick once he leaves. The team is in playoff position for the first time in a decade and they may want to strike while the iron is hot.
The Mariners have Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, but the rest of the rotation has question marks in Chris Young and Roenis Elias and adding Price would be massive. Having Price means that it's possible for the team to have Price, Felix or Kuma, as the pitcher in the one game playoff if they can make it there and that would be a big boost to the Seattle side as they push to stay atop the wild card standings.
The Dodgers need some arms as well to add to their deep stable and the Cardinals are one team that wants a commitment from Price if they are going to give up prospects for him. Price has been on fire of late as he has gone 4-0 in July with a sub 1.00 Era and that has made his price go up even more for the Rays. Tampa is not sure they want to sell yet since Price is also under team control next year, but they are not signing him long term and this could be the best option for both sides.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has to make at least one move and while Price is not too keen on playing in Seattle, it could be enough for the next two years. Walker would have to go, but he has struggled of late and that could make things tougher. The deadline is expected to be tight this year and while there won't be any major deals, Price is the top name on the market and could get moved.
