Just a year ago, Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price was well on his way to another solid season, leading the way for the 45-40 Rays in the hunt for a playoff spot. Price continued his success throughout the season, propelling the Rays into the AL Wild Card game against the Cleveland Indians.
However, after winning the Wild Card game, the Rays were outclassed by the eventual World Series Champion Red Sox in four games. Price took the loss in Game 2 of the series that signal the end of a promising season for the Rays.
Today, Price has many of the same stats as he did in 2013. He holds a 3.50 ERA this season, compared to a 3.33 ERA in 2013. He also has a 1.08 WHIP; .02 lower than last season’s average.
Price is continuing his success as a prominent No. 1 starter, but the Rays are failing to live up to the expectations set forth from last year. The team sits at 38-49, a hefty 9.5 games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.
Last year, Price seemed like a lock to lead the Rays for years to come, but he’s found himself in trade talks as the deadline approaches this month. The Rays are eyeing the possibility of letting go of the pitcher that led them to a World Series berth and recorded 76 wins in his career in Tampa Bay.
Rumors are one thing, and actions are another. Should the Rays trade away the best pitcher in recent memory? And, if so, where will he land?
It bears repeating that the Rays are 9.5 games out of the playoffs at the moment. With the 21st-ranked offense and 15th-ranked pitching staff in baseball, the team needs to either add or build for the future.
The Rays pitching staff is already embedded with a group of promising youngsters, including Alex Cobb and Chris Archer; two potential aces. If Tampa Bay could pick up a few more pitching prospects this season, the staff could regroup and find itself back in the upper echelon of baseball.
When Price looks at his offense, he’ll surely find a reason to leave town. He is looking to win a World Series and, at 28, he’s reaching his prime. It may take until after his prime to fix this Rays’ offense that has scored two runs or less in 10 of Price’s starts.
The answer is yes; Price should want to be traded and the Rays should look to do so. However, executing such a trade will be difficult.
Should the Rays shop Price, two of the leading candidates for a No. 1 starter just happen to be in the AL East. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles desperately need someone like Price, but Price doesn’t want them.
He told the NY Daily News that he does not want to face the Rays if he were to be traded, meaning that the Orioles and Blue Jays, or even the sneaky New York Yankees, are not on his list. However, there are plenty more teams that could use him.
Other teams interested in Price include the Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals, but neither seems willing to give up enough to get Price. The Cardinals have Oscar Taveras, but don’t seem like they want to give him up.
Maybe the most likely of all destinations is Los Angeles. Not the Angels;better yet, the Dodgers. With Magic Johnson and company running the team, the Dodgers have the resources to pay Price long-term.
The only mystery here would be: what would the Dodgers give up? The team does have two Futures Game members: Julio Urias and Corey Seager. If the Dodgers could find a way to implement them into a trade, they could possibly pull it off it.
It remains to be seen where Price will go, or if the Rays will even deal him. But the fact still stands; Price is unhappy with the situation in Tampa Bay. The team has to decide to build around Price, or without him.