Rays thinking twice about trading Ben Zobrist?

In today's Rays trade rumors and news update, the Tampa Bay Rays could be changing their mind about making former All-Star second baseman Ben Zobrist available prior to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline.

According to Conor Ryan of WEEI.com, Hall-of-Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons intimated as much during Monday's Dennis and Callahan Show:

“They actually can keep thinking, ‘We have a chance.’ I know this: Tampa Bay really thinks it has a chance. Now their pitching has come back together again, I talked to people in Seattle who thought they were very close to a deal for Ben Zobrist and they said the Rays pulled back the last couple of days because they want to take it right down to the last 48 hours before the deadline.”

The Rays likely do have a chance to contend, with the AL East as weak as it has been in years. Coming into play on Monday, the Rays sit just 7.5 games behind the Orioles thanks to a five-game winning streak and a sterling 23-11 record over the past month or so.

If the Rays do decide to hold on to Zobrist until the 11th hour and then suddenly make him available, expect a crush of teams in need of help at second base to clog the Rays' phone lines until a deal gets done.

Follow our Tampa Bay Rays team page for the latest Rays trade rumors!