Detroit Tigers: David Price Doesn’t Expect to be Traded
By Matt Snyder
It’s the All-Star break, so there’s not much for reporters to do apart from walking around Cincinnati and talking to players. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times caught up with David Price, ace starting pitcher for the the Detroit Tigers, and talked trade possibilities and contract extensions.
David Price said he does not expect #Tigers to trade him. Not aware of any active discussions on extension.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 13, 2015
It’s not considered particularly good form to openly discuss being traded, so it’s not surprising that Price would express his expectation to remain with the team. But Price is probably also reflecting some of the culture of the clubhouse. The team didn’t perform up to expectations in the first half, but they’re still a team ostensibly built to win. I think it would be a shock to the players if they started a big-time selloff.
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And that’s still the vibe the entire organization is sending out. Dave Dombrowski spoke to media members on Sunday in Minnesota and reiterated that the team is trying to win this year.
Whether or not that’s the real sentiment in the front office remains to be seen, but we should expect the Tigers to at least posture themselves as buyers until such a time as they make a trade to sell (if they do).
It’s also interesting (but not surprising) to learn that Price and the Tigers aren’t actively negotiating a contract extension. Price, for his part, has to be itching to see what type of offers teams dangle in front of him in the offseason. He eyes must turn into cartoon character dollar signs as he lays in bed at night thinking about the upcoming payday.
And the Tigers, for their part, aren’t certain what the future holds. They aren’t going to want to lock down Price long-term if the team is just going to crumble to bits down the stretch, especially since he’s not going to give the team any sort of discount. Not this close to free agency.
The Tigers may ultimately choose to pursue Price in free agency — they could find a way to make it work in the budget even with all of the long-term money still on the books — but it doesn’t look like anything is going to happen on that front until November at the earliest.
Next: David Price Could End Up on the Trading Block