Tampa Bay Rays fans can breath a small sigh of relief today as the franchise isn’t ready to trade David Price, at least not yet.
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Price, who may or may not have been on the block this past offseason has been struggling in regards to his ERA, though his peripherals have been solid so Price’s elevated ERA seems to be a case of bad luck more than anything.
What hasn’t been bad luck is the Rays’ season record, currently putting them at the bottom of the American League East and worst overall in the American League.
Understandably not what they expected coming into the season, the Rays are doing what they can to fight out of the hole they’ve dug though it won’t be easy. Already 10.5 games behind the division leading Toronto Blue Jays, the Rays may need to begin fighting for a Wild Card birth if things go any further south.
If that trend continues, they may be forced into moving their ace, this according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan.
“Unlike Moore, Rays GM Andrew Friedman is decidedly honest with himself and understands cut-bait time. He’s not there yet, either – probably because the Rays are more talented than the Royals – but if a month from now Tampa Bay still owns the worst record in the American League like it does today, the Price sweepstakes may well cut into Shields’ market, something of which Moore must be cognizant.”
Price is still under contract for next season so Tampa doesn’t have to trade their star pitcher in fear of losing him, though the less time remaining on his contract, the lesser the return Tampa can expect.