David Price was named the Opening Day starter for the Detroit Tigers, which snapped Justin Verlander's seven-year streak. Price is expected to be the most highly sought-after free agent upon season's end, but Detroit may not let that happen.
According to Jason Beck of MLB.com, the team has "opened discussions" with the left-hander and his agent, Bo McKinnis, about the potential of a contract extension. However, Beck mentioned the two sides are "basically talking about concepts" and "no numbers have been mentioned."
"I wouldn't even call it groundwork," Price told Beck on Wednesday. "I wouldn't even say that groundwork is being laid."
Earlier in the offseason Price said he was opening to signing an extension with the Tigers and wanted to clear the air on the subject because many believed he did not like Detroit after being traded by the Tampa Bay Rays. Price grew up in Nashville, TN, and played high school and college baseball there and then spent the first six-and-a-half years of his professional career with the Rays. Detroit is a drastic change for someone who has been in Nashville and Tampa their whole life, and even general manager Dave Dombrowski acknowledged that when he was asked about Price's long-term future with the team.
"I think in David Price's defense, which would be any player's defense, you're somewhere for your whole career from the day you drafted, you're comfortable there, you live 5-10 minutes from the ballpark and get traded to a new team," Dombrowski told the Detroit Free Press.
Dombrowski previously said he would not comment on any contract talks with Price, and Beck says Price is staying out of the talks between his agent and the team until "something gets close."
One would imagine Detroit is making a hard push to keep Price because they lost Max Scherzer this offseason to the Washington Nationals. Scherzer rejected a six-year, $144 million offer prior to last season and talks were never renewed after that. Price will earn $19.75 million in 2015, which was a record for a salary arbitration settlement. The team likely wants the investment to go beyond this season.
"I'm open for anything, to be honest," Price told Beck earlier in the offseason. "But once you have -- I guess I'm about a week short of six years in the big leagues right now -- to get that far along in the process, some of you does kind of want to wait it out, but then some of you feels like, 'Well, if they're open to doing something, you can't close any doors.' That's the way I feel. I enjoy it here. I enjoy the staff and the guys and the stadium, everything of that nature."
We'll see how the talks go as the season progresses.
