MLB Trade Rumors: Analyzing Buzz on Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray and More

As the clock ticks and the days get crossed off the calendar, the trade conversation around Major League Baseball becomes more intense.

Important personnel decisions are still to be made by all teams as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline gets closer, and general managers have to figure out if their teams are contenders or pretenders.

Prior to the institution of the second wild-card team to the postseason in 2012, it was a bit easier to come to those conclusions. But wild-card teams have done well in the postseason, and a team that's in the No. 2 wild-card position has a chance to win the World Series.

There are a number of teams in contention for the two wild-card slots in the American League. The New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals hold the top two positions in the wild-card race, and six teams are within 3.5 games of the Royals. Those teams include the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers.

The general managers and other key decision-makers may want to say they are legitimate contenders, and we would not argue if any of them came back with that conclusion. However, a realistic evaluation may turn many of those teams into sellers.

The Rangers may be close to calling themselves sellers, and they have one of the game's most attractive trade chips in right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish.

Baseball insider Jon Heyman tweeted that the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are interested in Darvish, and more teams could be joining the party.

Not all baseball insiders are in agreement. Bob Nightengale of USA Today came out with a tweet that the Rangers are not ready to move Darvish at this point. 

Darvish is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the 2017 season. He has pitched 133.1 innings this season with a 3.44 earned run average and a 1.118 WHIP.

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Oakland A's pitcher Sonny Gray is not pitching for a contender, but his strong pedigree makes him an attractive name on the trade front for any team that needs to upgrade its starting pitching.

The Seattle Mariners improved their record to 50-51 with their 4-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox Monday, and since they are within 2.5 games of the Royals, they are viewing themselves as contenders.

MLB.com writer Mark Feinsand reported that one of his sources said that Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto is "going for it," and the team is preparing to make a run at Gray.

Gray would not be just a rental. The 27-year-old pitcher is arbitration-eligible for each of the next two years, so his team can retain his services through the 2019 season.

Gray has pitched 91.0 innings with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.176 WHIP.

In addition to Darvish and Gray, Miami Marlins pitcher Dan Straily could also be a valuable trade asset for a team that is interested in rebuilding for success in future years.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote that Straily could be of particular assistance to surprise contenders like the Twins or Milwaukee Brewers, and that other teams could also develop an interest in the right hander.

Straily has pitched 113.1 innings this season with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.129 WHIP. If a number of teams decide to bid for Straily, the Marlins could bring in a bountiful haul in a trade.

Straily, 28, would remain under a team's control through the 2020 season.