Jun 25, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price (14) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The general consensus all year long is that if the Tampa Bay Rays decided to trade David Price it would be to any team that isn’t in the AL East.
However, that may no longer be the case.
According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Rays are now open to the idea of shipping him to a division rival.
If the Rays trade David Price, which remains likely, they are open to trading him within the AL East.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 6, 2014
Rays’ fans first fear is that Price is traded, although it’s widely accepted he’s leaving at some point, whether it be via a trade or free agency. But their biggest fear may be that he stays within the division, meaning the Rays would have to face their former ace multiple times a year.
If Andrew Friedman does decide to trade Price, Morosi believes there are four teams that could make a deal work: Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s unclear what exactly Friedman may want in a Price trade, but as is usually the case when a big name player gets moved in baseball, it will be for a number of high-level prospects.
The 28-year-old Price is 7-7 this year in 18 starts with a 3.50 ERA. He’s also averaging a career high 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Since June 10, the Rays are 16-8 and are slowly making their way back into the playoff hunt, which could end all possibilities of a Price trade.