ANAHEIM – The Angels are scouting the Tampa Bay Rays, apparently on the trail of right-hander James Shields, who might be available before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

But recent reports of a trade that would send Shields and Rays utility man Ben Zobrist to the Angels in exchange for a package of players including second baseman Howie Kendrick and rookie right-hander Garrett Richards are overblown (particularly since Richards is in the Angels’ starting rotation).

Nonetheless, the Angels’ director of pro scouting, Hal Morris, watched the Rays during their weekend series against the Seattle Mariners including Friday night when Shields held the Mariners to three runs on four hits while striking out 10 in 7 2/3 innings of a game the Rays’ eventual won in 14 innings. Shields is 8-6 with a 4.39 ERA in 20 starts this season. He is making $7 million this season with an option in his contract that could pay him $9 million – apparently taking him out of the low-budget Rays’ price range.

Advance scout Gary Varsho has also been following the Rays – but that is in anticipation of the Angels’ series in Anaheim against the Rays next weekend. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto confirmed Sunday that Morris’ attention on the Rays is related to the approaching trade deadline.

“Hal is there,” Dipoto said. “We have six other scouts following six other teams where players might be available. One thing I can guarantee you – we will do our due diligence.”

The Cubs (who might move starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza before the deadline), the Brewers (Zack Greinke) and the Phillies (Cole Hamels) figure to be among those teams as the Angels look to shore up a starting rotation that has become frayed around the edges over the past month.

But it is still unclear whether the Rays are in the trade market as sellers. A loss to the Mariners on Sunday was their 18th in the past 29 games and left them in third place in the AL East – 8 ½ games behind the Yankees and 2 ½ games behind the A’s and Orioles (tied for the second wild-card spot in the American League).

It puts the Rays in a no-man’s-land created by the addition of a second wild card, one they share with several other teams on the outskirts of playoff contention. Nonetheless, Rays management apparently enjoyed the creativity of the multi-player trade scenario first tweeted by Sirius/XM radio host (and former Reds/Nationals GM) Jim Bowden.

“He said, ‘Did you see this?'” Rays manager Joe Maddon said of being told of the rumor by Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman. “I said, ‘No’ and he told me. We had a good guffaw over it. Almost a chortle.

“It was pretty funny.”

Dipoto might guarantee “due diligence,” but he doesn’t guarantee the Angels will be able to find any pitching help at a price he feels they can afford.

“Oh, pitching will be available. How much of it? I can’t tell you,” Dipoto said of the trade market as the deadline approaches. “Pitching is available every July. There’s going to be a premium for it – (a premium) that you’re paying to access pitching — and I don’t think that will change (as the deadline gets closer).

“You’re going to pay a premium for pitching in July.”

The Angels do not have a wealth of premium trade chips to use in acquiring that pitching. Dipoto has already expressed his reluctance to deal outfielder Peter Bourjos. Only Triple-A catcher Hank Conger and infielder Jean Segura (promoted from Double-A to the majors on Sunday) really qualify as the kind of major-league ready prospects many teams are looking for if they’re going to make a deal at the deadline. The Angels have neither the quality nor quantity of young pitching in their system that is often required to make a significant addition at the major-league level in mid-season.

“As I’ve told you all along, if the ability to make a move that helps our club exists, we’ll search that out,”

Dipoto said Sunday. “We’ll seek it. We’ll try to find the right fit. It may not be there.”

The GM reiterated his stance that the Angels’ best option for improving their pitching staff does not involve a trade.

“At the end of the day, I’ll go back to what I’ve said all along — the best options we have are sitting right there, a healthy Dan Haren and Ervin Santana pitching up to his capabilities,” Dipoto said, nodding across the clubhouse toward their lockers. “The focus for us is how do we get these guys where they need to be? Because when you have pitchers that are as accomplished as these guys, essentially, the rest of the league is going out trying to scout guys like that, who are playing for teams who might not be contenders, to try to essentially buy low and get a guy who can make a difference for them in the second half.

“Here we are, we’ve got those guys – we just have to get them back on track.”

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