MLB Trade Rumors: Analyzing Buzz on James Shields, Jeff Samardzija and More

With buyers and sellers on the dance floor called the MLB trade deadline, which strikes at July 31 at 4 p.m. ET, the realm of MLB trade rumors fresh off the mill continues to heat up.

Some wild deals are already on the books, such as the Houston Astros getting Scott Kazmir from the Oakland Athletics, among other things.

The opening salvos of the period feel like a warm-up for good reason, with sellers like the Cincinnati Reds hunting around. Ditto for buyers such as the Boston Red Sox and names such as James Shields once again getting tossed around the block.

It's an exciting time as baseball steps into the limelight but also a stressful one when it comes to keeping up. Let's do so below with the freshest items off the mill.

Derek Dietrich on the Block

Sandy Huffaker/Associated Press

Here's a major duh item—a 26-year-old third baseman who is under contract through 2019 with a slash line of .303/.384/.579 continues to draw interest from teams on the market.

This refers to Derek Dietrich of the Miami Marlins, who would draw this interest for the reasons above alone. It doesn't help that the Marlins have given him time in just 33 games this year, though, perhaps leading to the thought around the league he could be had for the right price.

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal confirmed the suspicions were correct:

Why not? At third, the Marlins have Martin Prado and Casey McGehee to soak up the playing time. While it's odd the latter gets play over such a high-upside, young option, it opens the door for trades.

Per MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, the Tampa Bay Rays are one team on the hunt:

Tampa Bay wouldn't mind getting a familiar face back, especially if it means quality depth behind Evan Longoria.

At this point, the lone problem is asking price. Miami can command whatever it wants, and if nothing works out, Dietrich is still under contract for quite a long time.

Padres' Fire Sale

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

With 46 wins and a third-place standing in the National League West, the San Diego Padres sound ready to blow up the rotation. 

By the sounds of it, the front office wants to do away with James Shields and Andrew Cashner, at least according to what other teams have told ESPN's Jayson Stark:

Cashner, 28, sits at a 3.93 ERA and 4-10 record, the former a massive downswing from his 2.55 mark last year. It's going to take a team believing in his ability to turn things around to take him off the Padres' hands.

Shields is more interesting. He's sitting at 8-3 with a 3.77 ERA, 144 fanned batters and a WHIP of 1.32, per ESPN.com. One problem—it's not as big of a no-brainer as it sounds for other teams considering he's owed $10 million this year then $21 million in each of the next three years, per Spotrac.

Per Stark, this is a major hurdle: 

The best word for the situation? Odd. Shields joined the Padres this past offseason and is already on the block. The contract doesn't help, nor does his worst ERA since 2010, although there's time to improve.

Teams always get panicky near the deadline, so if a blockbuster surrounding Shields will go down, look for it to happen as the clock looks ready to expire.

Jeff Samardzija Update

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Fourth in the American League Central division, the Chicago White Sox are obvious sellers if the right team comes along with the right price. 

Perhaps even more obvious is the state of the Toronto Blue Jays, a team second in the AL East, one game above .500 and in desperate need of a pitching upgrade to stand a chance in the postseason.

Sounds like the two teams are perfect for each other, right? Jon Morosi of Fox Sports noted Jeff Samardzija is the common ground:

Samardzija, now 30 years old, isn't at his best this season either. He sports a 3.91 ERA, his worst since 2013. Just 6.93 strikeouts per nine innings is a career-worst mark. The 7-5 record isn't the prettiest thing in the world either.

It says a lot, then, about Toronto—the impending free agent would be the team's ace right out of the gates after a trade.

The White Sox are smart to act as sellers, with Samardzija the lone free agent of note after the season. They need to dangle him toward a team in serious need like Toronto and find the most possible value out of his inevitable departure.

As for the Blue Jays, it's a Band-Aid on a bigger problem but a solid one—if the price is right, of course.

Stats and info courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise specified.