MLB Trade Rumors: Potential Deals to Watch for Heading into 2017 Deadline

We've reached one of the most exciting points in the MLB season. We've blown past the All-Star break and are headed toward the homestretch of the regular season. This means teams will be battling for playoff position and making roster moves to help themselves in the process.

Many teams not in the postseason race will be looking to make moves too. For every outfit looking to add to its roster, there has to be a seller—and those sellers can take advantage of the situation. With the official MLB non-waiver trade deadline—4 p.m. ET on July 31—almost upon us, we're likely to see just as much action on the trade market as on the ball field.

We're here to examine some of the latest storylines and rumors surrounding deals that could happen before the trade deadline.

Yu Darvish to the Yankees

The Texas Rangers aren't quite out of the wild-card race, but the team does appear to be a long shot for the postseason. This means that while they aren't likely to have a fire sale, they are certainly going to gauge the value of potential trade chips.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports recently reported that the Rangers are exploring the possibility of moving pitcher Yu Darvish:

"The Rangers are not committed to dealing Darvish, the 30-year-old right-hander who immediately would become the market's most coveted asset.

"At the same time, rival executives believe the Rangers are nearing the point where their struggles could force them to strongly consider doing so. Even if Darvish's impending free agency would prevent the Rangers from receiving a blockbuster return, rental players of his ilk carry enormous value."

Darvish is in the final year of his contract, so it makes sense to explore trade options—and it appears Texas may have a buyer.

According to George A. King III of the New York Post, the New York Yankees are interested in adding Darvish to their rotation:

"The Yankees' rotation could use help with Michael Pineda finished for the season, Luis Cessa ineffective as the No. 5 starter, Masahiro Tanaka experiencing his worst season as a Yankee and rookie Jordan Montgomery struggling in his last four outings.

"Darvish, 31 next month, makes sense because he will be a free agent after the season and is owed a little over $4 million for the remainder of this one."

The Yankees have been a bit of a surprise contender this season and are positioned to make a run at the postseason. Renting a player like Darvish could help New York make that push while giving Texas some value in return.

Ramos to a Contender

Miami Marlins closer AJ Ramos could be among the list of players traded before the deadline, and he seems to know it.

"You never know if it's your last day here at the ballpark with this team," Ramos said, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. "Definitely, you think about it a little bit. But you try to block it out."

Miami is fixing to be a seller, as the team sits more than a dozen games back from the Washington Nationals in the NL East. The team recently traded pitcher David Phelps to the Seattle Mariners for some prospects. For the right price, Ramos could also be on the move.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, there is no shortage of teams interested in acquiring Ramos:

This is a good situation for the Marlins to be in if they are interested in moving Ramos. With teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs in the mix, Miami should be able to create a bit of a bidding war for the right to acquire Ramos.

Kinsler to Milwaukee

Heyman mentioned the Milwaukee Brewers as a team that could be interested in trading for Ramos. The Brewers are apparently also interested in acquiring Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler, according to ESPN's Buster Olney:

Kinsler is one of baseball's top infield defenders. He'd definitely have value for the Brewers, who sit in first place in the NL Central.

The Brewers might not be the only team that is interested in acquiring Kinsler, either. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the Red Sox are considering adding an infielder who could be moved to third base since the market for third basemen is thin. He mentioned Kinsler by name, though he said no trade talks involving Boston have occurred.

Kinsler doesn't sound too excited about the possibility of a position switch, though.

"If that's their idea to try to get a third baseman, then that's their idea," Kinsler said, per George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. "If it happens, it happens. But up until that point, I'm not going to go take groundballs at third base."

Kinsler has some control over where he lands if the Tigers decide to move him. He has a partial no-trade clause in his contract. There are 10 teams he can avoid if he so chooses. However, Kinsler doesn't seem to know which teams are on the list.

"I don’t know what they are," Kinsler said, per Sipple. "I would have to look and see what the 10 teams are."

If Boston is on the list, it seems unlikely Kinsler would want to go. Changing teams is one thing, but also changing positions could be enough to sour the 35-year-old on the idea. Milwaukee would probably be a more realistic destination.

According to Rosenthal, Kinsler would be open to joining one of the teams on his no-trade list only if given a contract extension. He has one year remaining on his deal as a $10 million club option, per Spotrac.