The Detroit Tigers made a few trades this offseason and acquired two starting pitchers to complete their rotation for 2015. With David Price becoming a free agent after the season and Max Scherzer still available, does the front office have an alternative plan?
Well, apparently not, but we can speculate. An official in the Tigers' organization told Jon Morosi of FOX Sports: "We are happy with our starting pitching. We are not pursuing any starters." This is likely in response to the rumor whirlwinds surrounding the team regarding Scherzer. The free agent rejected Detroit's six-year, $144 million extension last offseason and is now seeking a $200 million contract, which no team looks like they're willing to offer.
Perhaps the team official made that comment to help drive down the market price for Scherzer and ease negotiations between the two sides in the future. General manager Dave Dombrowski previously noted during the MLB Winter Meetings that the team wasn't actively pursuing Scherzer and they were happy with their starters, according to Chris Iott of MLive.com. The market for Scherzer is largely undefined and no team has explicitly expressed serious interest in the right-hander or a willingness to enter negotiations.
However, on Wednesday night Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports noted the St. Louis Cardinals were exploring trades for starters Cole Hamels and David Price as well as the possibility of signing Scherzer. Merely exploring options does not indicate anything is imminent, but this provides substantial evidence for the possibility of the Tigers trading Price to St. Louis and then re-signing Scherzer. Detroit has not entered contract extension talks with Price, who is slated to become a free agent after the 2015 season, and it's hard to believe the Tigers will simply let him walk since he can provide a nice return in a trade.
In fact, Rosenthal and Morosi think the most likely possibility for the Cardinals is a trade, especially one for Price. The Phillies want top prospects in return for Hamels, who is under contract for another four seasons. Since the Cardinals recently traded young starters Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins and dealt with the passing of rookie outfielder Oscar Taveras, it's unlikely they would be willing to part ways with more prospects/young talent. Price would cost considerably less since he would be a rental for the 2015 season and the Cardinals would have to work on signing him long-term.
At this point it's pretty clear that there is no mutual interest exists between Price and Detroit regarding a long-term deal, so is it possible they look to move him before this year's deadline, or even as early as this offseason? If they wait it out until later in the offseason, Scherzer's price tag will likely decrease and it might reach a number the Tigers are willing to bid for. They can trade Price to St. Louis (or some other destination since he's a coveted left-hander) and re-sign Scherzer to complete their rotation.
Although they wouldn't have a lefty, they would still have a formidable starting cast that consists of Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon. It's all speculation right now, but we at least have a reference point to begin connecting the dots.
