re: MLB Trade Deadline Deals and Rumors:

Only if the can get him to sign an extension. Otherwise they'd be better off waiting until the off season. He should be their number 1 target imo.

Trade Colon for some Double A pitcher or two

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What big moves are my mets going to make to get them over the hump from 4th to 3rd in the brutal NL East?

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There are rumors, mind you not deadline rumors, because both teams are sellers, that the cubs and mets might be able to get together on a deal involving castro for pitching. More from the mets side, but it's plausible.

I can't see the Rays ever taking on such a large bad contract. It's just not their style.

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Ken Rosenthal says the Cubs trading for Price is the right move right now, in which case I couldn't disagree more with him.

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Yea this is the only thing i've seen. And while i typically like rosenthal's work, this one is bad. The first tea leaf he's reading is that the cubs hired price's former coach in an effort to get price, c'mon. And while he touches on the fact that you do have to pay a lot at the deadline, what about this front office makes him think that the cubs should and would overpay so that they could have the remainder of teh 2014 season along with next season? So yea, nothing to it.

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THink I would move a prospect before I moved a proven MLB player....

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I would too, but these rumors have come from the mets side.

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Maybe Alcantara or Torres since they have Russell and Baez still in the minors

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Well it'd need to be a true shortstop if it's with the mets so Alcantara is out and i don't think anyone would be willing to part with much for torres, not a comment on his skill, but he's so young and played so few games at the very lowest levels of the minors.

If cubs are trading prospects for a pitcher it'll need to be an impact pitcher, so it'll be one of the top 5 (baez, bryant, almora, soler, russell) with bryant probably being untouchable, and i don't know how teams would feel about soler's contract. I've always thought baez was the most likely to get dealt as he was drafted by hendry, and his approach isn't really what the FO wants. But he's also ridiculously good when he's hot so who knows. I think if alcantara does well in his stint with the cubs in CF then he stays too.

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n one sense I think the idea of trading for Price is stupid

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In all senses it is. The argument is that they'll need him when their window really opens up (which is probably 2016). So either they're trading away prospects to spend lots of money to extend him and have him for a time that they're not realistically competing, or they could just hope gets to FA and sign him then and keep the prospects. Again i really like rosenthal, but he's just dumb on this one.

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The Cubs still have shown no interest in putting a winning ML team out there.

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Eh, they've been unsuccessful in doing that, and you're right it's a half hearted effort at best (darvish, puig, cespedes, tanaka, all decent bids, but didn't get any of them). But they've been very upfront from the beginning that they weren't trying to build a team out of FA.

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Also you have to consider they wouldn't lose a first round draft choice, which they would if they signed him on the market.

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top 10 picks are protected, and if they don't make a serious move this year, then they'll be ok on that front after next season.

The question is what does david price do for the cubs before 2016? That answer to me is 'almost nothing' so why trade anything for him? Just to have the chance to try to extend him?

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The question is what does david price do for the cubs before 2016? That answer to me is 'almost nothing' so why trade anything for him? Just to have the chance to try to extend him?

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Depends on if they feel that next year is when they should start improving....

If they feel that confident in their hitters the Price give them that #1 they would need to anchor a rotation.

Having Price and getting him to sign long term would make it easier to lure a Scherzer, Lester, or Masterson imo... Those players don't want to pitch for a rebuilding club but if they see Cubs actually going for it, it is easier for them to sign.

No sure thing but I think for those 3 in their late 20's, early 30's they wanna win and get paid and they need to see a commitment from the club.

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Having Price and getting him to sign long term would make it easier to lure a Scherzer, Lester, or Masterson imo

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I'm sure it would, but 'the plan' isn't going to be upended based on a hope that it would lure another player just to move up the window possibly by one year.

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need to see a commitment from the club.

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Eh, i'm sure it's my optimism as a fan, but I think it's pretty obvious the commitment is there. New clubhouse in 2016, video board with increased revenues, spending every dime up to just shy of the penalty on the draft. Again, i'm biased, but i'd rather sign a long deal and know the health of the organization is there so that way i'm competing every year, not just getting a one time promise. Trading away a guy whose cealing has been described as a generational talent for a guy who plays the most injured position on the field when you're not ready to win now just doesn't do it for me.