David Price wants to stay with Tampa Bay

Don’t rule out the idea of Price being traded just yet.

With exactly a month before Pitchers and Catchers report to Port Charlotte, David Price is still triggering some trade rumors. Although the Tampa Bay Rays and their ace avoided arbitration last week, agreeing to a 1-year, $14 million deal, not much will be certain until the team gathers for Spring Training. The Rays have already pushed their 2014 payroll to a franchise high $70 million, and internally, the organization feels they over spent on their roster. Price, in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, hopes that success and potential excitement for the future will keep him in Tampa.

"I feel like we have a good team, so hopefully we can make some kind of run. If we can have this team that we have right now on paper and everybody stays healthy and produces the type of seasons that we all can produce, I think we can do something special…I want to be a part of it."

Like much of the Free Agent pitching market, Price’s fate seems to be tied to that of Japanese right hander Masahiro Tanaka and the teams that don’t end up signing him. Desperate teams could still try to offer something for the left-handed ace Price, but Price is hoping that if he ends up reporting to Spring Training on February 19th, that he’ll be there – at least for the first half of the season. A trade of the staff ace right at the outset of camp would likely cause a stir amongst the rest of the team. For now, Price, like the rest of the baseball world, just has to wait and see.