Mariners Trade Rumors: Price and Zobrist to Seattle?
By Todd Pheifer
The rumors about the Seattle Mariners acquiring players from the Tampa Bay Rays are heating up. We have heard the name of David Price many times. Now, we are hearing about Ben Zobrist.
A package deal?
If the Mariners are serious about this kind of deal, they would be making a strong statement. The front office would be sending a message to the rest of the league that they want to win. Now.
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We know the issue with David Price. He has indicated in the past that the Mariners are not his dream franchise. Zobrist is still a very good player, but he is 33 years old. He has a $7.5 million team option in 2015 with a $500,000 buyout. In other words, Price and Zobrist are hardly a long-term solution or a youth movement.
In a recent article written by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, there was this quote:
"The Mariners’ ownership group is “very big” on bringing in players who want to be in Seattle, especially if they’re committing huge dollars to such a player, someone with ties to the Mariners pointed out."
That means that either the ownership group isn’t as worried about the “want to be in Seattle” part with Price, or they feel like he can be convinced to stay. Or, there may be a belief that the Mariners can load up and chase a title in the short-term even if they have to sacrifice young prospects.
A blockbuster is intriguing, but there is a lot to be nervous about on both sides. Perhaps that will eventually kill the deal. Or, it may be that the teams work out a lesser deal where Zobrist comes to Seattle and a smaller package of prospects goes to Tampa Bay. That may not be a bad solution.
There are now less than two weeks to go before the trade deadline in Major League Baseball. More news and more rumors to come. Perhaps, there will even be some trades.