Does David Price going to Detroit affect his fantasy value?

Out of all of the big moves made today, the one that stand out the most is the trade of David Price to the Detroit Tigers. In a three team deal, Price was sent by the Rays to Detroit. In turn, the Seattle Mariners sent shortstop Nick Franklin to the Rays and received outfielder Austin Jackson from the Tigers. The Tigers also sent pitcher Drew Smyly and their number three prospect, 18 year old shortstop Willy Adames.

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As with any trade of this size, the fantasy repercussions will be big.

In real life, this gives the Tigers the last three AL Cy Young Award winners in Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Price. They also have the last three AL MVP’s in Verlander and back-to-back winner Miguel Cabrera.

What does this mean for David Price’s fantasy season? Not much. He will continue to be an elite option. He may even get a slight value boost by moving out of the AL East, and to a team that will score a lot of runs, raising his win potential. He is certainly worth offering for, but be aware that you will have to give up more than the Tigers did to get his services.

Price’s price was thought to be much higher than what the Rays got in return. If the Dodgers were indeed offering Joc Pederson, the Rays got ripped off!

Fantasy owners are hoping that Jackson’s numbers don’t take a hit like Cano’s did when he moved to Seattle. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Austin Jackson’s value will likely be about the same as it was in Detroit, though he may not score as many runs or hit as many home runs. If there is a decline, it shouldn’t be a severe one.

No, the big loser in this deal is Seattle outfielder James Jones. The rookie speedster will likely slide into a bench role or be sent back to AAA Tacoma. Those of you hanging on to him for cheap speed can now move on.

The Rays have plenty of new toys. Smyly will likely take the rotation slot vacated by Price. He had a 6-9 record with a 3.77 ERA in Detroit this season. He may take a bit of a hit being in the AL East, and his win total may suffer some, but he is certainly not worth liquidating or dropping at this point. It would be advised to pick your times to use him, at least in the short term.

Nick Franklin may find at bats tough to come by in Tampa as well with Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar occupying the middle infield slots right now. I am guessing that Franklin will be given ample opportunity to unseat Escobar at short This likely spells a big loss of playing time for Logan Forsythe and Sean Rodriguez. If any of you deep leaguers were using them, it is time to move on.

Meanwhile, Franklin could be a good add in deep leagues for those of you looking for middle infield help.

Adames had a nice season in low A ball, but any fantasy relevance he has will be at least two years away. Those of you in dynasty formats will want to keep an eye on his development.

Stay tuned to FantasyCPR for all of the analysis on the trade deadline deals!

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