MLB Rumors: Trade Buzz Surrounding Tyson Ross, Starlin Castro

The clock is ticking.

Major League Baseball's trade deadline draws nearer with the bell tolling on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. With plenty of big names having been dealt already, and one being withdrawn, the trading game has been just as exciting and unpredictable as the play on the field. 

There is plenty more to come, too, as the final hours of the trade deadline will find new homes for potential swap candidates, including the two below. 

Starlin Castro

Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is not quite seeing the numbers that have made him one of the best young infielders in the league.

Batting .237 with five home runs and 42 RBI, it seems Castro has been unable to produce with a team in 2015 that looks to be dealing him, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark:

The report comes a day after Cubs manager Joe Maddon told the 25-year-old that he was not going to be traded, per ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers.

Rogers continued to explain that they could be dealing Castro to make room for Addison Russell, who is also hitting .237 in his rookie campaign. The 21-year-old is just one of the youngsters who is making an impact on the Cubs roster that includes the likes of Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Anthony Rizzo, all 25 and under. 

Castro has been linked to a deal with the San Diego Padres, as reported by Fox Sports' Jon Morosi on Monday. San Diego is looking for another option at the middle infield position as they have not received much production from Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes. 

Plenty of teams could see Castro as an attractive target. While he does not bring the most sound play defensively, the prospect of his offense is too good to pass up. Castro led the National League with 207 hits in 2011 and has recorded 150 or more in each of the three seasons following. 

A bat like his could add an offensive jolt if nothing more than a fresh start is all that he needs. 

Tyson Ross

It just has not been working for the Padres this season. After going out in the offseason and acquiring Matt Kemp, Melvin and Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel, they sit in fourth, 8.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. 

Not quite sellers, the Padres are in the market to improve their roster, though it might spell the end of their 2015 season. One of their stronger pitchers are on the market, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal:

Tyson Ross was coming off a career year in 2014, earning regular playing time as he started 31 games. The 28-year-old held a 2.81 ERA despite a 13-14 record while being elected to the All-Star Game. 

His ERA has inflated a bit this season at 3.38, but Ross has still teamed up well with James Shields for a nice one-two punch in the Padres rotation. Ross recently had a streak broken by Lucas Duda of the New York Mets where he went 100 innings without giving up a home run.  He's the last pitcher to do so since Sid Fernandez went 111 innings in 1992 with the Mets. 

Ross' ability to keep the ball in the yard while giving quality starts where he has pitched into the sixth inning in six of his past eight appearances has made him a very attractive target to the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers, as reported by CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman on Monday. 

But the Rangers and Blue Jays are most likely out of contention after acquiring Cole Hamels and David Price, respectively, since, Heyman's reports.

Both the Dodgers and Astros are in need of depth in their pitching rotation, and it seems unlikely that the Padres would make a deal within the division to Los Angeles. Therefore, Houston should be the favorites to acquire Ross if a deal is made in the next few hours. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com