The Tampa Bay Rays have the worst record in baseball at 33-49 and are 12 games back in the AL East. With their continued struggles, the David Price rumors continue to heat up as the trade deadline is just a little over a month away. There were several scouts at his last start in which he went eight and a third while allowing only one run and fanning 11. The veteran continues to impress while upping his value for the Rays. He is also under contract next season, which will play a factor in any potential trade.
Here’s a look at some potential landing spots for the All Star lefty.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have a 1.5 game lead in the East, but could use some improvement in their starting rotation with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees right on their toes. Toronto had scouts at Price’s last start, along with several other teams.
Currently, Mark Buehrle is the ace of the Jays’ staff with a 10-4 record and 2.52 ERA. R.A. Dickey and J.A. Happ are the next best in their rotation, but neither have performed extremely well this year.
The addition of Price would greatly benefit this rotation and help them continue with a playoff push during the dog days of summer.
St. Louis Cardinals
With both Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia on the disabled list, the Cards are in the market for a starting pitcher. St. Louis is 44-37 and five and a half games back in the NL Central. There is no timetable for the two pitchers return so, Carlos Martinez and Joe Kelly will be in the rotation for the time being.
The Cards are lucky to have Adam Wainwright as an ace, and he has been pitching extremely well this year. He has a 10-4 record with a very low ERA of 2.01 with 105 strikeouts.
With St. Louis only five games back, Price would have an immediate impact on a team in need of some pitching help.
New York Yankees
The Yankees have shown a lot of interest in Price due to some pitching woes and injuries throughout the year. CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda have been on the disabled list for some time now, but the Yanks have been able to keep pace in the East and are only two games behind the first place Blue Jays. Both pitchers are due back soon, but as the competition heats up, they will need strong pitching to contend for the division.
A one-two combo of Masahiro Tanaka and David Price would be great for the Yankees moving forward, and would greatly improve their chances at a playoff run.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals were the leaders in the AL Central for about two days, but have found themselves now three and a half games behind the division leading Detroit Tigers.
Royals ace James Shields could potentially be on the trade block himself, but with the Royals not too far back and a lot of baseball left to play, they could be buyers come trade deadline. Shields and Price know eachother well, as they both pitched for the Rays. A reunion isn’t out of the question, and Price could have an impact on the AL Central if he were to be traded to KC.
San Francisco Giants
As the trade deadline approaches, its been reported that the Giants have shown interest in Price as well as a few other starters around the league. SF leads the NL West by two games with the Los Angeles Dodgers starting to get on a hot streak after winning seven of their last ten. The Giants on the other hand have lost seven of their last ten games.
Tim Lincecum just pitched his second career no hitter on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, which was promising for the Giants moving forward. That being said, his numbers on the year aren’t too great with a 6-5 record and 4.42 ERA. Matt Cain is also having a disappointing season going 1-6 with a 4.82 ERA thus far. Madison Bumgarner and Tim Hudson have been great for the Giants, however, and are the leaders of the pitching staff.
If the Giants were to land Price, they would greatly improve a rotation that struggles at times and be a force in the West in a push for the postseason.