MLB Rumors: Buzz Surrounding David Price Trade, Aroldis Chapman and More

Before the NFL takes its stranglehold over the American sporting consciousness with the beginning of training camp, the MLB has a few days left to dominate headlines as the trade deadline nears before slinking off for a couple months until the last throes of pennant races and then playoffs bring it back to life. 

The trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Friday, July 31, so there's little time left for the big and bit players in this annual drama to get a big trade in, lest they have to resort to waiver-wire deals to fill in the gaps later.

Superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's move from the Colorado Rockies to the Toronto Blue Jays has already paid dividends for the Bluebirds, while Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has the bizarre distinction of throwing a no-hitter in his final game for his team, as he's reportedly headed to the Texas Rangers, per the Associated Press (h/t Detroit Free Press).

There are plenty of rumors flying around, and it seems likely that a few more whoppers are in the works. Here's a look at some of the latest trade buzz from around the MLB.

David Price

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

With Hamels apparently off the market, Detroit Tigers pitcher David Price moves up to become the most coveted pitcher for teams with playoff and World Series aspirations.

Price is the Tigers' hottest commodity, but he's not the only one on the trading block, per ESPN.com's Jayson Stark:

"Confirming an ESPN.com report, general manager Dave Dombrowski said he told multiple teams Wednesday afternoon that the Detroit Tigers will listen on all their potential free agents—Price, [Yoenis] Cespedes, closer Joakim Soria and others—between now and Friday's trade deadline."

Fox Sports' Jon Morosi and CBS Sports' Jon Heyman noted the teams hoping to cut a deal for Price:

Price, who's only been in Detroit for about a year, is in the midst of yet another one of his excellent seasons. The southpaw is 9-4 with a 2.53 ERA and 3.00 FIP, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

His arrival in Los Angeles would be a fantastic pickup for a sagging Dodgers squad clinging to a half-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West. Price would form a deadly triumvirate joining the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who are as lights-out as any two pitchers in baseball in recent months (or, in Greinke's case, history).

According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers were busy working Wednesday on a three-team deal with the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins to bring in starters Mat Latos and Alex Wood, among others.

While a complicated deal like that might on its face appear to solve the Dodgers' pitching depth woes and deplete them of trade resources, Shaikin specifically notes in his piece that the deal could go through "without depriving them of any key prospects that could be used to acquire a third ace in David Price."

For a contender that's had to resort to reliever-heavy staff days to keep the rotation going, pulling off two trades like these would be a major coup.

With the Tigers apparently going for the page-one rewrite and in need of a boost to their farm system, they could target top-shelf prospects from the competing organizations, such as Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urias (tantalizing for the Tigers, as he is a lefty) or, if they want a hitter, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.

Bleacher Report's Scott Miller noted Toronto could be aggressive in its pursuit of Price:

"At the end of a wild day on the trade deadline front on which GM Dave Dombrowski said his Tigers will 'reboot,' one executive's educated prediction to Bleacher Report late Wednesday night was that it will be a race between the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays to land Price."

Miller added that trading for Tulowitzki "makes absolutely zero sense" if they do not add starting pitching to complement their bonkers offense.

Houston would do well to snag Price, a sign that their remarkable year-over-year improvement is about winning now and not an unusually bright start to a deeper rebuild (although they appear well set up for the future). However, the Astros could have their sights set on more modest pitching targets.

Padres-Astros Trade

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros could get pitching help via a trade with San Diego:

"

The Astros and Padres gained steam in talks about pitching Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation said.

However, nothing was in the red zone yet, as the Astros continue to talk to many teams, several sources close to the process said.

"

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Dennis Lin indicated which pitcher the Astros might prefer from the Padres:

Both Ross and Cashner are eligible for arbitration next season—Cashner year two and Ross year two, per Spotrac—and are bringing in similar salaries this season. On the mound, it's a different story, as Ross is having a better year than Cashner by many traditional and advanced metrics.

Pitcher	W-L	ERA	IP	SO	BB	WHIP	ERA+	FIP
Ross	7-8	3.38	127.2	137	61	1.386	105	2.89
Cashner	4-10	3.93	116.2	102	35	1.311	90	3.78

Ross's absurdly low home run rate—0.3 per nine innings, via Baseball-Reference.com—would translate well in Houston, as the righty could stymie right-handed batters swinging for the Crawford Boxes in Minute Maid Park's left field. 

The Astros are still tops in the AL West, but only by one game over the Los Angeles Angels. Their motley crew of free-swinging hackers in the lineup, such as Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus, does well to complement the diminutive, dynamic Jose Altuve and budding phenom Carlos Correa.

With the offense in fine working order (third in the league in runs), landing a starter or reliever should be the Astros' focus. Price would send a signal to the league that they mean business, but he could just be a rental with the kind of salary he demands. Adding Ross or Cashner would give them a potent arm who could very well stick around for the full renaissance in Houston.

Aroldis Chapman

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

With all this talk about starting pitching, you might be wondering if any flamethrowing relievers are on the move. Aroldis Chapman, perhaps? 

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reported on Tuesday that the Arizona Diamondbacks were in discussion with the Cincinnati Reds for the dominant closer:

Chapman is a reliever, yes, but he's the kind who is worth a seemingly exorbitant asking price in a trade. His fastball routinely elicits speedometer readings that wouldn't look out of place on the autobahn, and this year he's racked up 21 saves on a microscopic 1.65 ERA while striking out 77 batters in 43.2 innings.

The Reds might be crazy to move him, but you can safely assume they aren't going to be rash or foolish about dealing their 27-year-old closer. Stark suggested the market is dying down on Wednesday:

Cincinnati has already dealt starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to the Kansas City Royals, but they don't appear to be in a hurry to create a fire sale.

Chapman is eligible for arbitration next season, per Spotrac, but as the Reds figure out how to move forward from this mediocre season, having the Cuban hurler still in the fold at least offers some sense of security. There's no need to pull the trigger unless a Godfather offer comes across their table.