David Price Traded, Pitcher Thought Trade Deadline Was Yesterday [Video]
David Price is now a member of the Detroit Tigers in a transaction consummated shortly before the 4 pm MLB trading deadline.
The development may have come as a something of a surprise to the MLB star, however, despite the swirling trade winds.
The ace of the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff, Price admitted to reporters last night in a post-game interview that he thought the trading deadline had already passed. He noted that he was going play golf on today’s scheduled off day and leave his cell phone in his golf bag. See embed below.
Notice that Price used the term “honestly” which can often be a tell for the exact opposite.
Price lost his last start for the Rays in an interleague game against the Milwaukee Brewers, leaving him with a record of 11-8 for Tampa in the 2014 season.
As a small market team, the Rays simply didn’t have the salary flexibility to hold on to the former Cy Young Award winner for the long term. In this instance, then, the price for Price was wrong, as it were, for the underfunded baseball franchise, which otherwise would have loved to keep their homegrown pitching star on the team. The economics of professional baseball determined otherwise, unfortunately.
In January, the Rays signed him to a one-year, $14 million contract avoid arbitration, a contract that was nearly a budget-buster.
Today, Price joined the Tigers in a three-team deal. In return, the Rays got left-handed pitcher Drew Smyley and infield prospect Willy Adames from the Tigers and infielder Nick Franklin from the Seattle Mariners. As part of the deal, Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson was shipped to the Mariners. Price joins the Tigers’ power pitching rotation of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Annibal Sanchez, and Rick Porcello.
In seven seasons with the Rays, his original team, Price compiled an 82-47 record with a 3.18 ERA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ0M32UWaAs
Earlier today, as a result of an apparently similar contract impasse, the Boston Red Sox traded their ace Jon Lester, along with outfielder Jonny Gomes, to the Oakland A’s, the team with the best record in baseball. With the defending World Series champions out of playoff contention and languishing in last place in the American League East, the Sox also outsourced John Lackey, Andrew Miller, and Stephen Drew today. The team earlier traded pitchers Felix Doubront and Jake Peavy.
wow…what a day!! Rays fans THANK YOU!! Great Chapter of my life just ended…ready to start a new one with the Tigers!! Thanks again
— David Price (@DAVIDprice24) July 31, 2014
With the addition of David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Central Division leading Detroit Tigers appear to headed to a post-season matchup with the A’s, although the other American League contenders could have something to say about that.
[top image credit: Keith Allison]
