The St. Louis Cardinals acquired starting pitcher Justin Masterson from the Cleveland Indians earlier today, which made many believe they were out of the Jon Lester and David Price sweepstakes. Rumors around the league say otherwise.
Justin Masterson will become the fifth starter in the Cardinals rotation and join Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, and Joe Kelly. The Indians received St. Louis' No. 8 prospect James Ramsey in the deal, which leaves the Cardinals with plenty of trade ammo left to make a deal for a marquee pitcher.
The Cardinals, according to sources, have an offer on the table for Rays ace David Price. They're willing to give up young outfielder Oscar Taveras, starting pitcher Shelby Miller, and their competitive balance draft pick. However, the Rays are 21-9 in their last 30 games and have pulled within seven games of the division lead and 4.5 of the wild card race. This could make them more inclined to keep Price, but reports said that general manager Andrew Friedman is not reconsidering his stance based on the win streak. Price will be a free agent at the end of the year and the Rays won't be able to afford him, so Friedman is looking out for the best interests of the team.
However, if the Rays rescind their willingness to trade Price, that same deal the Cardinals offered them could be sent to Boston for Lester. If not that deal, a similar one could be offered, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. This 'similar' deal may include another starting pitcher and/or a prospect, which doesn't make too much of a difference because the Cardinals will have to surrender a starter anyway to make room for Lester. Additionally, the Cardinals have an advantage now that the Los Angeles Dodgers are probably out of the trade talks after it was made clear they're not willing to trade prospects Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, or Julio Urias - all of whom the Red Sox and Rays were interested in.
Aside from the heavily discussed Lester/Price talks, other deals could be in place before tomorrow's deadline. The Red Sox might also trade starting pitcher John Lackey, as it was reported the Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals are interested in the right-hander. The Cubs' Emilio Bonifacio has drawn attention from the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants because of his success against left-handed pitchers. It was also rumored that the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are interested in Minnesota Twins outfielder Josh Willingham.
The clock is ticking, and teams will be working through the night in an attempt to work out any last-minute deals of their liking. Check out ESPN's MLB page to keep up with the latest trade news.
