The biggest starting pitcher on the market has been traded, almost a year to the day he was traded last season. After spending a year with the Detroit Tigers, Price is headed north of the border to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman first broke the news that the deal was close
Toronto has been one of the most active teams this week, with the front office and ownership dedicated to the "all-in" mentality, willing to sacrifice its farm system in order to try and capitalize on a short window to contend. After trading for Troy Tulowitzki earlier in the week, Toronto desperately need an ace in its rotation and they will get that from Price.
The 29-year-old lefty spent six and a half seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays before being traded for Nick Franklin and Drew Smyly on July 31st last year. In 21 starts for the Tigers this season, Price held a 2.53 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and stellar 138/29 K/BB ratio in 146 innings. It has been a phenomenal season for Price with a career-best ERA coming at a perfect time for the impending free agent. Which means the Blue Jays will not receive compensation after trading for the impending free agent.
This move was gravely needed, especially when you look at the current Blue Jays' pitching leader being 36-year-old Mark Buehrle, whose team-leading 3.29 ERA is certain to regress as shown by his 3.85 FIP and 4.01 xFIP via FanGraphs. Toronto has also had to rely heavily on 40-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, whose ERA is up to 4.27 with an equally worrisome 4.69 FIP. Rounding out their current trio was Drew Hutchison, a 24-year-old righty who has been shelled all year to the tune of a 5.42 ERA and allowed 16 earned runs in his past four starts.
Price will slide right in as the ace of the Blue Jays' rotation and help pusg Buehrle, Dickey and Hutchison into better spots for them. It's a massive upgrade for this team, but there will still be lingering questions about the rest of their rotation and bullpen. This trade also came at a very high cost to the Blue Jays.
Tigers' General Manager Dave Dombrowski deserves a lot of credit for getting one of the best pitching prospects in baseball in return for a rental player. Detroit has certainly had a disappointing season, sitting at 49-52 and 3.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins for the second wild card spot. The team went back and forth on buying or selling, but made the right decision to trade Price.
In Baseball America's mid-season Top-50 prospects list, Norris came in as their 19th-overall prospect and the top prospect in the Blue Jays system. The 22-year-old lefty has climbed up the ranks since he was a second round pick in 2011, he made his big-league debut in 2014 where Toronto pulled him along slowly. This season he made the 25-man roster out of spring training and in five starts, compiled a 3.85 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 18/12 K/BB ratio. He was sent back down to triple-A Buffalo where he has faced some struggles, allowing a .270 average to opposing hitters with a 1.51 WHIP and 43 earned runs in 16 starts, but all the stuff is there, including a 96 MPH fastball with plus off-speed stuff. He should continue to develop and turn into an excellent No.2 starter for the Tigers in the future.
The Tigers will also receive lefties Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt in the deal. The 24-year-old Boyd was teammates in triple-A Buffalo with Norris, in six starts he holds a 2.77 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 37/6 K/BB ratio. He was promoted to triple-A after tearing through double-A with a 1.10 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 70/18 K/BB ratio in 12 starts.
He made two starts for the Blue Jays this season but was knocked around for 11 earned runs and five home runs in six and 2/3 innings. Minorleagueball had a write up about his fastball velocity hanging around 89-90 in college but is now up to 95 MPH with some life. That paired with his curveball and change-up could make him an excellent No.4 starter,
Labourt was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent and while the 21-year-old lefty is raw, he was good enough to earn an invite to this year's Futures Game. Command is still a major issue for him as demonstrated by his 44 walks in 81 innings pitched this year for high-A and 152 walks in 291 2/3 career minor league innings, but his 276 strikeouts and .231 average allowed over that span also stick out. This was an impressive haul for the Tigers and one that gives them two good, young starters for 2016 in Norris and Boyd, along with a developmental lefty who can miss bats.
Fantasy Spin:
Norris and Boyd likely won't be back in the majors until September, so the fantasy note here is for Price. He has allowed 13 home runs this season which is 43rd among all starters, so that could see a slight uptick in the Rogers Centre. But the slight uptick in home runs will be balanced out by the best run-scoring lineup in baseball, which will provide him with plenty of support and opportunities for more wins. Price's ERA should still hang around in the high 2's and you can count on him as the ace of your fantasy team's rotation in his new, temporary home.