Mariners interested in trade for Rays' Ben Zobrist

In today's Mariners rumors and news update, the Seattle Mariners have expressed interest in a potential trade for Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist.

According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Mariners are one of the three teams (along with the Giants and Reds) who are most interested in the two-time MLB All-Star.

While Zobrist is the slugging outfielder that the Mariners have been searching for all season long, he is a flexible commodity who has a reasonable $7.5 million pay day coming to him in 2015 (under full team control).

The question with Zobrist is whether or not he is truly available. The Tampa Bay Rays certainly could feel decent about their chances of making a run in a weakened AL East, despite the fact that they sit 9.5 games out heading into the season's second half.

Also, if management believes that this year's struggles are an aberration, it's possible that the core remains together for one more year - leaving the Mariners looking elsewhere for middle infield help.

 

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