The Tampa Bay Rays are still expected to make a final push to trade David Price before Thursday's MLB trade deadline, especially after the Boston Red Sox traded Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics.

ESPN's Jayson Stark reported that league executives are convinced that Price will be dealt before the deadline with sources saying that the Rays are not too confident about their chances of making noise in October - the reason why they are now in talks with several teams about a potential deal.

"Sources said the Rays were talking actively to a number of clubs Thursday about Price. An official of one of those clubs got the sense that the realization had hit the Rays that their odds of playing in October -- 9.0 percent on the ESPN standings page, 10.6 percent over at Baseball Prospectus -- were still so steep that they had to explore every avenue that could lead to a Price trade," Stark wrote.

Fox Sports' Jon Morosi and ESPN's Jim Bowden posted on their respective Twitter accounts that there is a growing belief that the 28-year-old pitcher will be dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Aside from the Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and the Miami Marlins are also in the mix for Price after all these teams failed in their bid to land Lester.

However, one executive reiterated that acquiring Price will be easier said than done because the Rays are expected to ask for costly assets -- even more attractive than what the Red Sox got in trading Lester on Thursday.

The Red Sox sent Lester to the Athletics along with Jonny Gonzales in exchange for two-time and defending Home Run Derby champion Yoenis Cespedes and a competitive balance draft pick.

"If they get what they want, they'll do it in a heartbeat," one American League executive was quoted as saying. "They want to do a deal, but they're not going to do it under value."

Price, who could become a free agent after the current season, is 11-8 this season with a 3.11 ERA and 189 strikeouts.

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