May 24, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price (14) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
As the MLB trade deadline looms closer the Tampa Bay Rays are still reportedly unsure if they will move star pitcher David Price.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, the Rays will wait until next week, which coincides with the report they will wait until the final 48 hours of the deadline before making any decisions.
Stark adds on a potential Price trade, “Based on the vibes they’re sending right now, the honest truth is this: Even the Rays don’t know yet.”
It all comes down to whether the Rays feel they have a shot at the postseason and with their recent surge, they sure must feel like they do, with Stark adding,
"“How can they be sure they will really close enough — to first place or the wild-card lead — to know unequivocally that they should hang on to Price and go for it. They can’t, of course. But they’re finally healthy, and playing so well, that even the playoff-odds column on the standings page — which currently gives them a 10.4 percent chance of reaching October — doesn’t feel like an accurate guideline.”"
After winning 24 of their first 66 games, the Rays have won 25 of their last 36 and sit with a 49-53 record, seven games back in the AL East and just 4.5 back in the wild card.
Whether the Rays keep Price or not also depends on what they’re offered too, Stark writes.
“It comes down to this, said a rival executive: ‘If they get the right offer, I’m convinced they’ll move him. They’ve really built their team by making these kinds of deals. But if the return they can get now is something they think they can get this winter, they’ll hold him.’”
Stark says the Dodgers, Mariners and the Cardinals are the three favourites to land the former Cy Young winner. He also mentions the Giants and Blue Jays but says that it’s unlikely that’s where Price winds up if he is moved.
Price becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2015 season but his price tag is far too high for the Rays to keep him.
The only way he remains with Tampa Bay is he if he is willing to lower his cost, yet there has been no hint whatsoever of that happening.
The trade rumblings stretch further than Price, as both Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce have seen their names in the rumor mill.
The trade deadline is July 31.