The MLB trade deadline 2014 is on Thursday and that means teams will be looking at targets over the next few days and names like David Price, Matt Kemp, Jon Lester, Josh Willingham, Alex Rios and Ian Kennedy are some of the names that could potentially move, as teams like the Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and LA Dodgers could be interested in dealing.
According to Hardball Talk and ESPN.com, Kemp is being targeted by a number of teams, including the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox. Kemp has been struggling and while he has over $100 million left on his deal, teams are looking at him as a prime trade target, as the Dodgers have been putting him in and out of the lineup. ESPN reports that the Red Sox may look at trading Lester for Kemp, as the Dodgers need pitching and Lester is nearing free agency.
Lester has already said that he would consider signing back with the Red Sox even if he is traded and that could be one deal the teams look at. The Mariners are also interested, while the Yankees have interest in Josh Willingham and Alex Rios. The Yankees have been making smaller trades to help with depth and the rotation and now they could look at a bigger name for a deal.
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.
According to Hardball Talk, the Cardinals are interested in making a deal for Price since the team is dealing with a number of injuries in the rotation, but they do not want to give up a top prospect just to see Price walk in two years. The Mariners are not as worried, as they see this two year window as a time for them to make the playoffs and they can deal with getting a draft pick if Price leaves as a free agent after next season. The Cardinals likely would have to part with Oscar Taveras or Carlos Martinez and to do that, which is why they are looking at him making a commitment to the team.
