May 8, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price (14) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays still haven’t made it known whether they intend to keep David Price or trade him, but as the MLB trade deadline approaches, the cost to obtain him continues to rise according to reports.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports reports that the “price of Price is going up.”
"“Some rival baseball executives believe there are Tampa baseball people who may still be inclined to trade star pitcher David Price for a big haul and give up the pennant chase, but even those folks acknowledge it would be hard to buck a committed clubhouse that has played its way into the race.The red-hot Rays certainly don’t have the look or feel of a seller. And most think now they will stay in it to try to win it, despite any original inclinations.‘I believe so,’ one person familiar with their thinking said when asked whether they’d likely hold onto their stars. ‘Simply put, it will take more than it would have a few weeks back.’Most folks believe the price will be too high for a trade now. They’ve come from 18 games below .500 to two below, at 52-54, following their 10th win in 11 games. They are only four games out of a wild-card position.‘Guessing Price is sold at 200 percent markup or not moved,’ one rival GM said.”"
The Rays’ recent surge back into playoff contention seems to indicate that Andrew Friedman will hold off on trading Price as well as Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce and others.
The trade deadline is only two days away now and it’s been previously reported that the Rays would make their decision on whether to move Price or not in the final 48 hours.
Tampa Bay appear more inclined to keep Price for the duration of the season now and then potentially move him in the offseason. However, doing so could bring less of a return than if the Rays traded him before the deadline.