MLB Trade Deadline 2015: Date and Latest Buzz on David Price and Others

The non-waiver trade deadline in Major League Baseball is Friday, July 31, at 4 p.m. ET. With just about a week to go before the deadline hits, expect discussions on several big names to dominate baseball-related headlines.

The Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros came to an agreement on the year's first major trade Thursday. Per Oakland's Twitter account, the A's sent Scott Kazmir to Houston for pitcher Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham.

Kazmir might be the first of a few quality pitchers changing addresses.

Bruce Levine of CBSChicago.com reported the Chicago Cubs have spoken to the Detroit Tigers about staff ace David Price: "Will there be a sale in Detroit and a Price reduction? The Chicago Cubs wasted little time this week reacting to the sudden availability of left-handed ace David Price, according to multiple sources."

Price is a free agent at the end of the season, and most teams that would be willing to trade for him would have to do so with the understanding that they might be renting his services.

The Cubs might not be in that situation. There's reason to believe Chicago would have a great chance to re-sign Price after the season.

Price spent most of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays pitching for current Cubs manager Joe Maddon. That connection could be gold for the Cubs, as Price could relish the opportunity to reunite with Maddon in Chicago.

Also, Price has expressed his desire to play for the Cubs in the past. During the 2014 All-Star break, he told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"

Being a part of something special is also something you want to do. You can take that to a first-place team. You could take that all the way to a last-place team like the Cubs. With the talent they have coming up they could be a very special team in a few years as well. That would probably be the coolest city to win a championship in. They haven't done it in I'm not sure how long. To do that there that would be the coolest city to win a championship in right now.

"

The Cubs could get a jump on the offseason free-agent frenzy by dealing for Price. How much the team is willing to part with will likely tell us how good the Cubs believe their chances of winning it all this season are and how confident they are they will sign Price in the offseason.

Latest on Cueto and Gallardo

John Minchillo/Associated Press

The Cincinnati Reds' Johnny Cueto and Texas Rangers' Yovani Gallardo are both generating a lot of trade buzz. Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, both starters have caught the attention of the Kansas City Royals:

The Royals recently sent Opening Day starter Yordano Ventura down to the minors. Cueto and Gallardo wouldn't just fill a spot in the team's rotation. Both would likely become the aces of the staff ahead of Edinson Volquez.

Cueto is just 6-6 on the season, but his ERA is 2.79 and he has a sparkling WHIP of 0.95. Gallardo hasn't been quite as sharp, but he's still been really good for the Rangers this year.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

He's 7-9 with an ERA of 2.91 and a WHIP of 1.27.

The major issue with acquiring Cueto or Gallardo is that both are scheduled to be free agents at the end of the season. The Royals don't have the built-in retainment plan that the Cubs might have if they were to deal for Price. Any Royals deal for these two or any other high-end starter would likely be a rental.

Chisenhall Available

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Per Buster Olney of ESPN.com, Cleveland Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall is available:

Olney pointed out Chisenhall's production against right-handed pitchers in his career, but that skill hasn't manifested itself much this season.

Chisenhall is hitting just .209 overall with four home runs and 19 RBI. MLB.com indicates that he's hitting just .200 in 135 at-bats against right-handers. Right now, he'd be a hard sell as a lefty bat off the bench to take advantage of a right-handed pitcher.