Following the signings of Gio Gonzalez, Dallas Keuchel, and Hyun-Jin Ryu, the trade market for Red Sox left-hander David Price is looking dim.
The Chicago White Sox seemed like a team poised to make a move, particularly for a left-handed starter, but with the signings of Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel, they likely won’t be suitors anymore.
However, there are still teams out there who could be interested in the 34-year-old southpaw. And that’s what we’re going to take a look at.
Here are the teams that still could be prime suitors for David Price.
Los Angeles Angels
Arte Moreno was reported to be “all in” in his pursuit of newly-acquired Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. However, he missed out on Cole. And then missed out on Dallas Keuchel. And then Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The point is, the Angels can’t expect to compete in the American League West next season with a rotation that features Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy getting 150 innings apiece.
Adding David Price gives the Angels another legit No. 1-2 pitcher in a rotation that already has concerns at the top with Shohei Ohtani’s health and Andrew Heaney’s inconsistencies. It might not be considered desperation, but the Angels are definitely in a position where they should feel obligated to be aggressive in an attempt to improve their team.
Minnesota Twins
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, the Red Sox have been in contact with two teams from the AL Central in regards to a David Price trade.
The #Redsox continue to shop David Price to teams, including two from the AL Central, but #BlueJays should be out now
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 23, 2019
With the Indians looking to unload, and the Tigers and Royals rebuilding, that only leaves the White Sox and Twins as the teams from the Central.
As far as the Twins are concerned, they’ve lost Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez to free agency. While neither of them had stellar 2019 seasons, that’s still 325.1 innings lost. Price not only provides innings, but he also is an upgrade over both guys lost.
Chicago White Sox
As mentioned before, the team from Chicago’s Southside is likely one of the two AL Central teams interested in the Red Sox left-hander.
However, after their two most recent signings, they have a rotation that’ll feature Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez, and eventually Carlos Rodon.
The point is, they likely won’t be looking to add anybody else to the rotation, especially not at the financial cost of someone like David Price.
Toronto Blue Jays
Having just signed Hyun-Jin Ryu to a four-year, $80 million contract, the Blue Jays have proved that they feel the need to go for it.
Their rotation should improve with experience, but simply adding Ryu doesn’t make them any more of a contender in the division. While David Price isn’t the same guy they traded for in 2015, he’s still a proven top-tier starting pitcher.
The Ryu contract puts their estimated payroll around $90 million, which shouldn’t hinder them from making any more additions to the roster. While unlikely, the Jays could quietly make a play for the Red Sox southpaw.
The market for David Price looks bleak, but there certainly are teams that could be interested in his services.
Coming off a season in which he missed much of the second half due to a cyst in his left wrist, Price still posted a 3.62 FIP, the highest strikeout rate of his career (28 percent) in 2019, and a 3.2 fWAR/150 IP. Contrary to popular belief, Price still has a lot of value, and he could provide a lot for a team looking to compete in 2020 and beyond.
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