The Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners are reportedly discussing potential trades that the two teams could make before the MLB trade deadline on July 31.
John Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the Mariners and the Rays are discussing a potential trade that would send Price to Seattle in exchange for Taijuan Walker. The Mariners could also include other pitching prospects like D.J. Peterson and James Paxton in the deal.
Aside from Price, sources also indicated that the Mariners are also interested in acquiring Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist, who is batting .267 this season with seven homeruns and 26 RBIs.
"The Rays are said to have talked to the Mariners about pitching prospect Taijuan Walker plus two or three other top young players in talks involving pitcher David Price," Heyman wrote. "Talks are ongoing and fluid, and deals being discussed could include just Price from Tampa Bay, Price plus Ben Zobrist or Zobrist alone."
Heyman said that no deal is imminent as the Rays are still looking for the best offer for their ace pitcher, who is also being eyed by several teams, including the Saint Louis Cardinals.
Price, who is 9-7 this season with 164 strikeouts and a 3.23 ERA, has been mentioned in several trade rumors this season as the Rays are reportedly pushing for a deal to get valuable assets instead of losing the 28-year-old pitcher via free agency after the season.
The Mariners have the assets to convince the Rays to trade Price. The two teams engaged in trade talks during the offseason, but Seattle were unwilling to give up Walker in the deal, while Price is reportedly unwilling to make a long-term commitment to the Mariners, which, the Mariners, are expected to demand before giving up assets.
"The inclusion of Walker in talks is no surprise, as he was the key name this winter when those very same teams talked about Price. Eventually, the Mariners said no, as they were hesitant to part with Walker at the time, and Price's agent Bo McKinnis told Ken Rosenthal that Price preferred not to go so far as Seattle and wouldn't sign an extension with the Mariners," Heyman wrote.
