David Price rumors: Dodgers, Cardinals, Braves, Mariners only teams with assets to make trade

There are two aspects to every MLB trade rumor, especially those that involved huge names like David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays.

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The first aspect is whether or not that team has a need for Price. In his case that is easy to figure out: every team in baseball could use a year and a half of one of the best starters in the game. That is especially true for any contending team or any team that considers themselves “buyers.”

The second part, the question that can be more complicated, is whether or not the interested team actually has the goods to offer enough to the team and player to pull off a deal. In the case of Price, that means that potential trade partners must have the prospects to offer and potentially that they must have a situation where they can sign Price to an extension beyond 2015.

In terms of being able to meet the asking price for the man named Price, Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes that only four teams would be able to make a competitive offer.

That answers the prospects part of a potential deal. The next question would be whether or not these teams would be willing to surrender such prized young players for Price, which is where the possibility of a contract extension comes into play.

The Mariners, in particular, are starting to emerge as an intriguing spot for Price. Of course no team will be able to land him if the Rays do not make him available, something that makes the next couple weeks very important for the landscape of the playoff races in both leagues.