MLB Rumors: Trade Buzz on Zach Britton, Ervin Santana and More

The trade market stayed hot on Wednesday as Philadelphia Phillies reliever Pat Neshek joined the NL pennant race and became a member of the Colorado Rockies. 

Given the amount of trade rumors from the game's best sources, coupled with the fact that the non-waiver trade deadline isn't until Monday, July 31 at 4 p.m. ET, we'll see some other big names traded to playoff contenders shortly.

Here's a look at three pitchers who could be playing in new cities soon.

Zach Britton

Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton, whose name has been involved in trade rumors for quite some time, may not be going anywhere after all, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN:

Crasnick then provided the reasoning:

Britton has been one of baseball's best relievers over the past three full seasons. According to Baseball-Reference, Britton earned a 1.38 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while racking up 120 saves and 215 strikeouts.

He's missed a chunk of this year with a forearm strain, and that's led to a down year by Britton's standards (2.65 ERA, 1.76 WHIP in 16 appearances). Still, Britton would be a vital asset to any team's bullpen. 

Ultimately, the biggest hurdle seems like Baltimore's asking price. Even if Britton doesn't return to the form he had from 2014-2016, he's still a very good reliever and a huge asset as a left-hander out of the bullpen.

Given how many playoff contenders need bullpen help, don't be surprised to see something develop over the next few days.

Francisco Liriano

The hottest team in baseball are the Kansas City Royals, who have won eight straight games following a 16-2 thrashing of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

They currently occupy the second wild-card spot behind the New York Yankees and just acquired San Diego Padres pitcher Trevor Cahill for the stretch run.

However, they may not be done. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Francisco Liriano of the Toronto Blue Jays is a possibility:

While Liriano has enjoyed a solid career, he's in the midst of his worst season as a professional. His 5.99 ERA is a career-high mark, and he's struck out just 70 batters in 76.2 innings, marking the first time since 2011 that he's failed to punch out a batter per inning on average. He's not in good form either, as he's only thrown two quality starts in his last seven outings.

It's possible that Liriano would be added for depth purposes, as he's not doing better than anyone else in the Royals rotation (Jason Hammel brings up the rear with a 4.81 ERA, but that mark has been 3.80 in his last four starts, per Baseball-Reference).

Liriano had a 2.92 ERA in 10 appearances with Toronto at the end of last year, so Kansas City would obviously hope that form returns. He'd probably be a spot starter if needed and a long man out of the bullpen for the stretch run and postseason, and in those capacities, Liriano could shine.

Ervin Santana

According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports and MLB Network, the Minnesota Twins may deal starting pitcher Ervin Santana and new acquisition Jaime Garcia:

Trading Santana and Garcia would be a 180-degree turn considering that it looked like Minnesota was going to go for the playoffs just a short time ago.

However, Minnesota has struggled a bit recently, losing series to the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. They also need to leapfrog two teams (currently the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays) to snag the second wild-card spot.

Still, Minnesota is best served to hang tight and shoot for the playoffs. Their closing schedule isn't particularly daunting, save for a few series with the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians and a couple of other showdowns.

Therefore, it is conceivable that Minnesota goes on a late run. Expect Santana and Garcia to stay.