MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Predictions for Top Players Available

Teams' scouting departments have been doing their due diligence over the past months in anticipation of this Friday's non-waiver trade deadline. Now, after deals earlier this week that saw former All-Stars like Aramis Ramirez and Scott Kazmir change teams, the MLB trade deadline is in full swing.

With the first big deals out of the way, we should expect a flurry of moves in the coming days. With those moves, we should also expect to see some of the game's biggest names move to potentially greener pastures.

Before we reach that Friday deadline, let's take a look at some of the latest buzz surrounding the top players available and also make a few predictions about their collective fates.

Johnny Cueto 

Arguably the best pitcher on the block this year, Johnny Cueto's second-half services are in hot demand around the league.

Most recently, according to ESPN's MLB insider Jim Bowden, Cueto is high on both the Kansas City Royals' and Toronto Blue Jays' wish lists.

The Royals and Blue Jays could feasibly get into a bidding war over Cueto, and if both are willing to give up a "top" prospect, then things could get interesting.

The Blue Jays boast a farm system that includes three of MLB.com's top 100 prospects—Daniel Norris (12), Dalton Pompey (33) and Jeff Hoffman (69)—and both Norris and Pompey should draw significant interest from the Reds. Hoffman would also be an interesting piece for the Reds, and his starts with the team's High-A and Double-A affiliates suggest that his 2014 Tommy John surgery is well behind him.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the Royals' farm system is well represented within MLB.com's top 100 prospects, with Raul Adalberto Mondesi (31), Sean Manaea (43), Kyle Zimmer (45) and Miguel Almonte (66) all laying claim to top-75 positions.

Cueto is going to fetch a price, and it could come down to whichever of these two teams is willing to pay more for him. Fortunately for the Reds—and unfortunately for the acquiring team—Cueto's value has rebounded to its pre-All-Star-Game form.

After allowing five earned runs over his two previous starts—he walked a whopping seven batters over just nine innings between those two starts—Cueto bounced back in a big way Saturday night (Jul 25). The 29-year-old was outstanding in Colorado, tossing eight innings of shutout ball, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out five.

Following that outing, Fox Sports MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reported that the Royals and Reds had a deal in place that fell through due to a medical issue with one of the players heading to Cincinnati.

This deal falling through doesn't preclude a deal being struck between the Reds and Royals, but it certainly doesn't help if a player that Walt Jocketty and Co. thought highly of is no longer considered healthy enough to acquire.

If the Blue Jays are wiling to offer up one of their top pitching prospects in return for Cueto—or a combination of Pompey and a lesser prospect—then the Reds could, and should, consider shipping the Dominican Republic native north of the border.

Prediction: Cueto is traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels' draft stock is on the rise. The 31-year-old made waves Saturday (July 25) after no-hitting the Chicago Cubs, lowering his ERA to 3.64 in the process.

One day prior to the no-no, TR Sullivan, the Rangers' beat writer for MLB.com, noted that the Texas Rangers had rejoined the discussion on the Phillies' star lefty.

The Rangers were in talks with the Phillies earlier in the year, but as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports noted back in March, the two teams weren't necessarily close to a deal then, as the Rangers were unwilling to part with top prospects Joey Gallo and Jorge Alfaro.

The tune has probably changed slightly in that time, as Gallo was on the cusp of a big league breakout earlier this year before fading hard en route to a demotion back to Triple-A Round Rock. Gallo, 21, currently ranks as the No. 7 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com.

Alfaro, meanwhile, ranks as as MLB.com's No. 34 prospect, and also as the best catching prospect in the game, per MLB.com. Assuming the Rangers are truly invested in the idea of acquiring Hamels, Alfaro will certainly be one of the first names mentioned by the Phillies front office. 

As for Hamels in Texas, the 31-year-old hasn't had the best luck against current American League West teams:

Splits	G	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	H/9
vs. AL West	14	5-6	4.47	1.26	8.1	1.6	5.13	9.7
Career	294	113-90	3.31	1.15	8.6	2.3	3.74	8.0

Over 14 appearances against AL West teams—not including the Rangers—Hamels has been dismal, allowing a 4.47 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP over 90.2 innings pitched. Hamels' numbers against the West are driven up by some poor starts against the Astros while they were still in the National League, and the teams he faced then are much, much different than the one he'd face as a Ranger.

As of now, though, there has been no news on any team being close to acquiring Hamels. Unless the asking price has indeed come down, then there's a strong chance Hamels stays in Philly through the remainder of the 2015 season.

Prediction: Cole Hamels does not get traded.

David Price

From one highly touted lefty to another, we arrive at David Price.

Price may not exactly be available yet, but there remains a strong possibility that the 29-year-old is moved before the non-waiver deadline.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the decision on Price's availability will be made sometime next week.

Nightengale also noted that the Los Angeles Dodgers are very high on the veteran lefty, which was corroborated by a later report from Fox Sports Jon Morosi, who noted that the Dodgers, Cubs and Blue Jays are all interested in the Tennessee native.

Price's contract status places him in the same boat as three of the four players discussed here, but it's worth noting that both the Cubs and Dodgers could get involved in the bidding.

Both teams have expressed interest in adding another starter as we move closer to the deadline, and the Cubs have been linked to Price as a possible offseason addition prior to the 2016 season. If the Dodgers get too close, it could compel the Cubs to pull the trigger on a deal in order to preserve their chances of signing Price this offseason.

That said, there's no guarantee that Price will be made available, and if there's one thing we've learned about Mike Ilitch and Dave Dombrowski, it's that they live to compete in the moment and not to retool for the future.

Prediction: David Price does not get traded.

Justin Upton

An All-Star for the third time in 2015, Justin Upton finds himself on the block after just 92 games with his current team.

The 27-year-old was acquired by the San Diego Padres back in December, but the team has been unable to compete this year—they're already 9.5 games back of the division-leading Dodgers and 7.5 games back of the second wild card. That's not a great position for the Padres, who hoped to compete for an NL West title this year, and the team now finds themselves in a position to sell.

Multiple reports have the club ready and willing to deal some of their top players, including James Shields, Andrew Cashner and Upton. That said, according to Morosi, Upton appears to be getting early play over the team's other options.

Upton, mired in a 40-game slump in which he's slashed just .169/.273/.254 with six extra-base-hits (three home runs) and 12 RBI, could make for an intriguing buy-low for teams looking to upgrade without mortgaging away their future for a half-season rental. Plus, getting Upton out of Petco Park and into a better lineup could help turn the young outfielder around, as he lacks both the ballpark and protection to be the All-Star-caliber player we saw through the middle of July.

The Pirates make sense for Upton, but after just having acquired Aramis Ramirez, the team seems to be pretty well set once Josh Harrison returns from the DL.

Houston, however, seems like a more realistic landing spot for the Virginia native.

The Astros currently sit just a half-game back of the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels, and the club could use help in the outfield as they wait on the return of George Springer. Once he returns, the team could elect to shift one of Colby Rasmus or Jake Marisnick to a fourth-outfielder role, thereby boosting both the starting lineup and bench depth.

Prediction: Justin Upton is traded to the Houston Astros.

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