The Seattle Mariners are reportedly willing to consider trading some of their top positional prospects for Rays left-hander David Price, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
David Price rumors: Mariners willing to deal top prospects for Rays ace
Top pitching prospect Taijuan Walker is reportedly “untouchable,” but positional guys like Mike Zunino might be made available.
Otto Greule Jr
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The list of players potentially available could include young catcher Mike Zunino, per Heyman, though top pitching prospect Taijuan Walker, whose name first surfaced in Price rumors last week, is believed to be "untouchable" at this point.
Heyman specifically alludes to the M's considering "positional" prospects. While no one other than Zunino has actually been mentioned by name, a list of Seattle's top young positional players would have to include shortstop Brad Miller, second baseman Nick Franklin, first baseman D.J. Peterson and shortstop Chris Taylor. Whether or not any of them would be made available in a Price deal is another matter.
Zunino, 22, is one of the top catching prospects in the game. The third overall pick in the 2012 draft, Zunino flew through the Mariners’ farm system and earned his first call-up in June this past season. The young backstop struggled in his first taste of big-league action, hitting .214/.290/.329 with five home runs in 193 plate appearances, but still has a huge amount of upside.
If the Mariners were to acquire Price, the top of their rotation -- Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and Price -- would immediately become one of the more formidable forces in the game, but it’s unclear whether that would be enough to put them in contention in the AL West.
The M's aren't totally alone in their pursuit of Price, but they're one of just two clubs who are reportedly making a run at the 2012 AL Cy Young Winner for now. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the other team who has inquired on Price, and they could be inching closer to "matching up" on a deal.
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