MLB Rumors: Cole Hamels, David Price and More Pitching Buzz

The pitching market before this year's trade deadline has absolutely blown up, and what at first appeared to be a seller's market is now looking more and more as though it will actually favor the buyers.

The deal that sent Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros, per ESPN.com, is likely only the tip of the iceberg in what should be a frenzied trade period. Buster Olney of ESPN summed it all up pretty nicely:

The one player who has essentially been on the trading block since the season began, Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels, remains likely to be dealt. As one executive told Jayson Stark of ESPN, "I'd be beyond stunned" if Hamels isn't dealt. But the Phillies don't appear likely to move him for the sake of moving him, either, as Stark noted:

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This might be the most important trade of Ruben Amaro Jr.'s career. But he insists he has no sense of urgency to make it by deadline day.

"This isn't do-or-die for us," Amaro told ESPN.com. "In the end, it's about, 'What is the return?' and, 'Is this the right return?' If it is, we'll move forward. And if it's not we won't."

The Phillies continue to talk to about a half-dozen teams about Hamels. But other clubs believe that, if he gets dealt this month, it will be to one of four destinations -- the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers the Boston Red Sox or the Texas Rangers.

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The problem for the Phillies is twofold. For one, the team likely wants a huge return for Hamels to help reinvigorate its rebuilding project, which means it likely wants multiple top prospects. The problem, as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted, is that teams rarely sell the proverbial farm for big league talent these days:

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Those trades rarely happen anymore. And when they do -- think pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel for shortstop Addison Russell, outfielder Billy McKinney and righty Dan Straily a year ago -- they’re considered outliers and for the buyer cause for almost immediate regret.

The Price trade -- in which the Rays acquired two young, major-league-ready types, left-hander Drew Smyly and infielder Nick Franklin, and a top 100 prospect, Willy Adames -- was a better reflection of the current deadline calculus.

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The second problem is that in a deep pitcher market, other teams have leverage in talks with the Phillies. If they don't like the quoted price for Hamels, they can simply turn their attention to another ace on the market. And while the Phillies can claim they have no problem keeping Hamels, his value on the market simply diminishes the longer he remains a Phillie. This is the summer to deal him. 

Outside of Hamels and Johnny Cueto, David Price is easily the most attractive option on the market. The Chicago Cubs very quickly inquired about acquiring him when it became obvious Detroit was willing to move him, per Bruce Levin of CBS Chicago. 

Of course, the Cubs can join the club. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Dodgers have Price "atop their wish list," while Rosenthal has reported the Toronto Blue Jays are also interested.

And hey, let's not forget about the Kansas City Royals, who appear to be in the market for another ace as well, per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports:

That makes even more sense now than it might have a week ago, as the club finally decided to demote last year's breakout pitcher, Opening Day starter Yordano Ventura, back to the minors given his surprising struggles this year. 

Cueto, Hamels and Price are the class of this year's pitching targets for contenders, but there are plenty of excellent arms to go around. Ironically, that might make it less likely a few of the top options are actually dealt since the availability of all of them makes the value of each of them diminish slightly. 

The buyers have options and the sellers are scrambling to generate some sort of leverage. The MLB trade deadline is going to have fireworks, folks.