The Detroit Tigers are in a tricky situation. Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? And what is going to happen with David Price? The rumors have been plentiful and they're only going to increase with just over two weeks until July 31.
Detroit entered the All-Star break with a .500 record and they trail the Kansas City Royals by nine games for first place in the AL Central and the Houston Astros by 3.5 games for the second wild-card spot. The Minnesota Twins are also 4.5 games ahead of them in the division.
With a number of impending free agents such as Price, Yoenis Cespedes, Alfredo Simon, Alex Avila, Rajai Davis, Joakim Soria and others, there's a case for them to be sellers. However, the wide-open American League suggests they could be buyers, since they still have one of the most talented clubs in the MLB. Recent rumors suggest general manager Dave Dombrowski will pursue starting pitching before July 31.
Dombrowski has reiterated the Tigers are "trying to win this year," but depending on how the team plays during the two weeks following the All-Star break, could Price be put on the trading block?
Price told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he "does not expect the Tigers to trade him" before the deadline, but he's also "not aware of any active discussions on [a contract] extension."
With one of the worst farm systems in baseball, an aging roster (Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez) and a poor pitching staff, would it really be smart to sign Price long-term and potentially handicap themselves financially beyond 2015?
"They could trade as many of their free agents as possible -- starting with David Price and Yoenis Cespedes -- to brighten their future a bit," writes Chris Iott of MLive.com.
"Trading Price or Cespedes would not preclude Detroit from re-signing them as free agents. But whether the Tigers really should commit the money that those two -- especially Price -- will draw is certainly up for debate. (Giving Price more than $200 million-plus would still leave the Tigers with one or two holes in the rotation for 2016.)"
Again, this could be a pressing issue or a nonissue by July 31, but it's something to seriously consider. Dombrowski is also in the final year of his contract and it's unknown if he'll be back with the team, although a playoff berth or a blockbuster trade that lands the team resources to begin an immediate mini-rebuild could keep him around beyond 2015.
And trading Price would be the move that could begin that process.
Think about it: if the Tigers really knew they wanted to keep Price beyond 2015, wouldn't they have signed him by now? And if Price really wanted to remain in Detroit, wouldn't he have had his agent work out a deal to avoid further distractions?
Price said he would be open to contract extension talks with Detroit, but nothing has even come close to happening.
We know a number of big market teams will be lining up to sign the left-hander in the offseason, and if the Tigers miss the playoffs they probably won't be one of Price's top destinations. Teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and others are better built for the future and have the money to offer Price the contract he wants.
"The consensus among baseball people is that Price would be the biggest prize if he became available," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "That doesn't appear to be happening with Detroit still in the thick of the wild-card race. 'It bears watching,' said one AL executive. 'I don't think he's going back there. The Tigers need to revamp their farm system, so it's not cut and dried that they won't entertain a package for him.'"
Right now the top rental starting pitchers who could hit the market are Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Mike Leake and others - all of whom have minimal postseason experience.
Price doesn't have great postseason stats, but he's been there enough times to instill more confidence in another contending team's starting rotation.
The Tigers will face the Orioles, Mariners, Red Sox and Rays before the trade deadline and they'll be without Miguel Cabrera. If they can't win most of those games, look for Price to hit the trade market.
