The Mariners and Indians have their eye on David Price, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com in his latest video. The Rays see Seattle as a team that lines up well for a potential blockbuster. With the Athletics and Angels already reaching into the trade basket, Seattle is under pressure to make a move.
- Rosenthal identifies two potential barriers to a deal for the Mariners. With Price set to earn about $20MM in his final year of arbitration, ownership might not be willing to commit both financially and with prospects. Additionally, rival GM’s tell Rosenthal that M’s GM Jack Zduriencik is difficult to push across the finish line in trade talks.
- The Indians would like to supplement Corey Kluber and possibly Justin Masterson with a pitcher like Price. However, even though the Tribe is keeping tabs on Price, one team employee puts the odds of a trade at less than one percent. Rather than focus on Price, they’ll probably look to acquire an ace from another source.
- Don Mattingly prefers Joc Pederson in center field, but he’s not yet on the active roster. In Pederson’s favor, there’s little doubt that he’s the best defensive option. Some within the organization worry about his minor league strikeout rate, and believe he’ll benefit from further seasoning. If Mattingly gets his way, the Dodgers outfield will become even more crowded, further increasing the likelihood of a trade.
- The Marlins are leaning towards selling. Closer Steve Cishek may be the most likely to be dealt. He’s earning $3.8MM this season and will only get more expensive in his next three spins through arbitration. The Marlins may prefer to rely on a less expensive closer and get something back in the process.
Would add another Closer to the market if the Marlins become sellers and could see Turner and other veterans moved but not Stanton.
Tigers could become sellers if the Indians and Royals jump them in the Standings.
Dodgers could move Either and so on to Red Six for like Peavy and so on.
Dodgers need to bring up Joc Pederson. Looks like Don is in favor of doing that trade Kemp.
No one is going to take Kemp’s contract.
The Sox have always liked Kemp, assuming the right price the Sox would jump on Kemp.
Mariners could take kemp depending on how much money dodgers offered. Also a package of Ethier, cash, and mid-level prospects to boston for Uehera and Peavy would make sense. Dodgers looking for a bullpen piece and starter, Boston needs an OF and cash would off set the cost. Dodgers could then put pederson in center and platoon kemp and crawford in left
Kemp would not work he’s not willing to play part time. He would just be a distraction he needs to go and get a new start with another team.
Boston is not going to give up Uehara for Ethier and any amount of mid-level prospects. Ethier would be terrible in Fenway Park. Trading Middlebrooks and Peavy for Kemp would make much more sense.
“Trading Middlebrooks and Peavy for Kemp would make much more sense.”
Except for the Dodgers who have tons of lefties and few power righties in the lineup. The Dodgers don’t want to keep a roster with Ethier, CC, Agon, Dee and Joc all potentially below average against LHP. Trading Matt Kemp would be even harder when the team would be selling the youngest of their aging OFs with the highest upside and would have to eat more money to trade him. CC owed 62 mil over 3 years, Ethier 56 mil over 3 gauranteed years, Kemp 107 mil over 5 years.
You never know there’s ways to work something out. Am sure the Dodgers would be taking on a good sum of that contract. But don’t forget they have deep pockets.
So, the Indians are monitoring Price, but will ‘probably look to acquire an ace from another source’. Okay, so how many ‘aces’ are available? And how many sources? Even if you have a full farm and and can take on payroll, there still aren’t a lot of ace pitchers available
Their definition of ace must be arbitrary
Yes. I’m thinking they may have meant to say something like ‘an upgrade in pitching’ because I do think they could try for someone like Burnett, Kennedy, Colon, Ace pitchers just don’t tend to move around much.
I would really like to see what someone like Travis Wood might do with a better defensive team (I know that’s not the Indians) because he pitched first in a teeny tiny ball park, then with a lousy team. He’s a savvy pitcher. I think he would be a tremendous get in the right circumstances.
What “aces” are on non-contenders?
Hamels, Sale, Darvish.
Maybe Cliff Lee, although I’m not sure he’s an ace anymore.
I bet Tito would love to have Lester on the mound pitching for him every five days like he used to.
Forgot about him. He’s a possibility, although he’s not really an ace either.
Lester isn’t an ace.
How is Lester not currently an ace? The man is top ten among starters in ERA, FIP, SO, and is having the greatest WHIP and HR/9 numbers of his career. He is looking like he used to when he was a back to back AS in 2010-2011 before his down season in 2012. Overall I would think many teams would love to consider Lester as there #1 man in their rotations.
It is my opinion that you can’t have six good seasons, then three really good months and catapult to ace status. That’s like saying Scott Kazmir is an ace. Yu Darvish and Felix Hernandez are aces. Lester is a #1.
I respect your belief, but I don’t think that Jon Lester and Scott Kazmir should be put into the same group as Lester has consistently been a leading force in the Sox rotation for mostly his whole career, where as Kazmir has found success these past couple seasons for the first time since 2008 back with the Rays. I think that Lester is more deserving of the ace role due to consistency and success in as large of a market that he has played in for quite some time now.
I completely agree he’s been consistent for the past six years, but he has a 3.48 FIP pitcher since 2008. He’s consistently good, but in comparison, Felix Hernandez has a 2.98 FIP and Clayton Kershaw has a 2.79 in that same time frame. I just think those numbers are more conducive to ace status.
And being the best pitcher on a team or playing in a big market shouldn’t matter.
It shouldn’t matter but if you are to look at the Dodgers, all people seem to care about from their rotation is Kershaw. You don’t hear that many people talking Greinke being a true ace, but he has a 2.92 FIP. Isn’t that enough to be called an ace? Or better yet, What about Hyun-Jin Ryu. Most people look at him as a solid #3 but in reality he has a 2.86 FIP. Now certainly that should be enough to be called an ace, but it obviously isn’t. In the end of the day people can argue for hours on end on who they believe to be an ace or not, as really it is not the numbers that decide on who an ace is, but it is the people that argue with those numbers on who truly should be considered an ace.
Yeah I agree. Each person has their own definition of what an ace is. Maybe I hold aces to a higher standard than most. I just think the term ace should be handed out to absolutely elite starters, just like the term phenom should only be handed out to absolutely elite prospects.
You think Darvish is an ace but Lester isn’t? Wow. Lester Has put up 33.4 War over 7.5 seasons. Darvish has put up 13.6 WAR over 2.5 seasons. Felix has put up 46.4 WAR over 9 seasons. I would say that Felix and Lester are proven aces and Darvish has shown that he is ace like in the short time he has been in MLB.
This is the only year in his career with a WHIP below 1.2
Not an ace.
Price to the Indians could be a really unique turn in this whole saga…
The M’s are willing to deal their top prospect in Walker. I’m not sure the Tribe is ready to deal Lindor in a Price deal. What do you think?
Bartolo Colon, Rafael Montero, Daniel Murphy, and Ruben Tejada for Dee Gordon and Matt Kemp.
No way Dee G. needs to stay he’s the spark plug that every team wish they had.
If the Dodgers want to move Kemp badly enough and upgrade the back of their rotation, they will have to make some sacrifices.
The Mets should offer to swap Chris Young for Carl Crawford.
They don’t seem to want to move Kemp. Despite the hot stove and deadline talk nothing has ever come close to materializing. Why would the Dodgers hurt the MLB team by dealing 2 of the 3 position players under 30? It would make no sense to deal Dee unless Guerrero and Joc come up to the bigs gangbusters and they felt set in LHBs and @ 2b. Even then it still wouldn’t be a smart baseball move.
Why should they offer to do that?
More like Colon, Wheeler, Murphy, and Lagares for Gordon and Kemp. Assuming you’re swapping Montero for kemp Colon Tejada and Murphy won’t buy Gordon. Have to give up Wheeler instead of Montero and Lagares instead of Tejada.
The Mets would have to offer someone that could fulfill the significant role Dee Gordon plays… I don’t know if they have the pieces to do that, nor do I think Eric Young, Jr. is that guy.
The dodgers do have Guerrero and Arrue in the minors. And picking up Lagares and wheeler could be what they need to land price. They won’t escape dealing Pederson or Seager but Lagares and Wheeler might negate both. So Wheeler Lagares Seager Lee would be a good haul for the rays.
Why would they get rid of Dee? He’s been one of the very few shining lights on this team so far. They have been incredibly patient with him over the last few years, it makes no sense to ship him out now and create a hole. Trimming the outfield fat shouldn’t mean creating a middle infield problem.
Simple….they wouldn’t.
You lost me when I got to Dee Gordon on your proposal.
Mariners need to make a move quick before the Indians, Blue Jays and Royals catch up with them. They need to lock down that second WC asap.
My thoughts exactly. Lock the WC and set themselves up for next year to win the division.
More like to supplement Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. I mean, I’d love to see Masterson pitch like he did last year, but I’m not holding my breath.
Price, Kluber, Bauer would be a great 1-3 for the next year and a half, but I think that might cost too much.
Tigers should get Cishek. Maybe trading Devon Travis and Endrys Briceno (or a similar reliever prospect) and a PTBNL could get it done. Marlins need a 2B, and Travis is blocked by Kinsler.
Tigers have about dozen pitchers in mind. They will bite when the get the best deal. They do not seem to be picky.
Indians will probably have to give up Lindor to get him, so yeah, the cost will likely be too high.
I think Kemp needs to find another agent. Dave Steward makes to many comments about Kemp just causing more problems.
Darvish is already said to be off the table though
Trading Chris young for Carl Crawford is an awful idea. Young has 1 year. Crawford has what 3 left? Just dump goings salary after the season.
Hamels isn’t an ace.
False.
Are you basing that off his W/L record? Hamels, per Fangraphs, has 2.1 WAR with only 17 starts. That’s not bad at all. Put him in a pitchers park like Safeco and watch out.
I wonder how much the shadow of the Bedard deal, and not wanting to pull the trigger on such a bad deal, hampers Zduriencik’s willingness to make big trades. That deal has reached notorious proportions, esp. since two of the key guys in it are productive Orioles today.
Why can’t M types be patient and let Walker develop!
I really think the M’s would be silly to trade for Price!
I really do!
If they want Zobrist and they get him, that would be alright!
But I don’t see how it would be groovy getting Price. I really don’t.
You used the word “groovy” in a baseball comment, in 2014… points for you, sir.
But I completely agree… why would the Mariners want to part with Walker for a guy they aren’t even sure would sign an extension with them?
They would have the best 1-2 punch for 2 straight playoff pushes. I really hope the Mariners didn’t pay Cano and Felix 24 million a year so those two could wait until a prospect possibly blossoms a few years from now. Surely the strip clubs in Seattle aren’t so bad that the M’s owners couldn’t have found better ways to waste their money.
Ha!! Best comment on this thread.
They already have the best 1-2 with Felix and Kuma. A trade for Price will just further improve our rotation.
I guess I agree, but I think their pitching is already pretty strong, in a great park for it. Don’t they need more offense, rather than upgrading a strength? It will cost a big chunk of the future to do it. There’s absolutely no way Price is leaving a life-changing fortune on the table to extend when this close to free agency.
You must mean AL only because Kershaw and Greinke are a little better.
Yeah I was thinking about the AL only, but if we were to include the whole league Felix/Kuma and Kershaw/Greinke are essentially a wash. Would be a great debate to see who is actually better this year.
You must mean AL only because Kershaw and Greinke are a little better.
I agree. Price’s price, haha, is way too high. And there’s no way he’s going to extend. He’s going to hit free agency.
Mariners need to give Walker up. He already has had some arm issues and you don’t know what your getting. Where as Price you know what your getting. I’d give him up and I bet we could get him cheaper then what everyone else is expecting. Then next year resign Hart to man 1B, and go hard for a title next year. Make Price stay. He said he wouldn’t sign to a non contender, well getting him will make us contenders.
The M’s best shot at a WS title with Cano is the next 3 to 5 years. Bringing in Price makes the M’s a contender right now. Adding a bat would do even more. Walker has developed to the point where he is a good enough chip to bring in a TOR like Price. Some chips you keep, some you spend. The M’s have a full bank account and can buy a ticket to the dance. Let’s Go M’s!!!! Get Price!!
Zduriencik isn’t Bavasi so the Bedard deal has no impact on him. Zduriencik has built a minor league system for this purpose, to feed the major league team with talent. Some come thru and make it, others will be traded to bring in tops talent. Bavasi gutted the farm and killed the farm by signing bad Type A’s that cost them draft picks and then drafted poorly. Michael Garciappara in the 1st round? Really? Tuiassossopo?
The problem wasn’t the Bedard trade per say. At least in the Bedard trade we overpaid to acquire a pitcher that when healthy was a borderline #1 starter. The problem was trading Asdrubal Cabrera and Choo for a couple of “veterans”. Also somehow ending up with the only bust in the first round in 2005 (I think that was the year we drafted Clement) didn’t help.
Matt Kemp and Corey Seager to Mariners.
M’s send Brandon Maurer, Erasmo Ramirez to Dodgers.
M’s send Dustin Ackley to Tampa Bay.
Dodgers send a prospect to Tampa Bay.
Dodgers get Zobrist.
I do not see the Mariners taking on that contract. That just doesn’t fit their MO. Then again, neither did signing Cano. Hernandez, Cano, and Price would kill what they are able to do financially. It’s not worth it. Paxton and Walker will be good enough to get them to the next level. Just be patient.
Price would only be around till after next season, more than likely. In which case it wouldn’t really hamper them in the long term.
Hernandez and Price would be pretty impressive then.
Except the Mariners have a huge revenue stream with them owning their TV station.
M’s payroll is under 100 MM. It was at about 120 in 2003/2004. After years of losing the fans have stopped going to a game. Back when they were a winning ball club the M’s drew 35k+ a game. Seattle loves baseball and we finally have a team worth watching and not just watching the King every five days.
They also control about 70% of their TV station. That will be a huge revenue stream. Seattle is a market that can support a 150+ MM payroll.
Tigers are streaky. They look terrible right now v. the Indians. They only won the division by one game last year… and there is the wild card safety net for the Indians.
If the Indians got Price, they could pay for his salary just in higher ticket sales the next year and a half.
The AL Central is winnable for the Indians. The Tigers and Royals have a ton of problems.
The Rays are in a bad position with Price. They want packages similar to the Shields and Samardzija trades, but Price’s salary is bound to scare off most teams. Price might be the best of the three, but that won’t necessarily net them a better package.
I said this same thing in the spring when talking about which pitcher would get the best return. It is all about perceived value and Shark had a higher value because of health concerns (at the time) and contract demands. The only way I could see someone going one better than what the A’s gave up is if the plan all along is to ride Price for a playoff run this year and flip him to recoup some of the cost in the off season.
That’s one thing about Andrew Friedman. No one knows what the heck he’s gonna do. He’s so secretive and tells nothing of his interests. I believe that may help the Rays get more prospects because other teams have no clue how close a trade may be with another team. I think we will have an amazing farm system after we trade Price. But one problem is that without Price we don’t have another go-to-guy. If we want to win we call Price. Need a clutch performance? We call Price. We don’t have another go to guy. That may hurt us after we trade him.