Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times wrote on Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Rays will have to make a decision soon on Hank Blalock. Blalock’s agent, Scott Boras, said that Blalock would activate the out clause in his Triple-A contract which will force the Rays to either promote him to the Big Leagues or allow him to become a free agent.

ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox and the Oakland Athletics have needs for a power hitter. Olney says that once Blalock informs the team that he wants to opt out, they have 48 hours to deal him or put him on the roster.

It would be a complete bonus for the Rays if they can make a trade for Blalock since it was a surprise that Blalock accepted an assignment to the Minor Leagues in the first place. They have to make a move fast or get multiple offers if they want to maintain negotiation leverage.

Blalock, 29, hit 25 home runs in 2009 for the Texas Rangers, but had a .277 on-base percentage. You can see Blalock’s contract history and statistics here.