The Rays' attempts to trade David Price are greatly complicated by the fact that the team is still trying to contend in 2014, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal writes. Most teams unloading a star player are doing so in order to rebuild and add young talent across the board, but Tampa Bay is trying to add Major League-ready players for another playoff run next season. Here are some more items from Rosenthal's latest column…
- The Rays "probably wouldn't be excited" by the prospect of trading Jeremy Hellickson if they couldn't move Price. Hellickson's name came up in trade rumors last offseason before the Rays moved James Shields, and I agree that if Tampa Bay doesn't trade Price, the team is much more likely to just stand pat with its rotation rather than move another starter.
- Brett Gardner's career numbers compare to those of Michael Bourn and (somewhat surprisingly) even Jacoby Ellsbury, so Rosenthal wonders if the Yankees could sign Gardner to an extension now and perhaps save themselves some future money if they want to keep the outfielder in the fold.
- MLBPA officials believe Gardner will earn a "considerably higher" salary in arbitration than the $4MM number projected by MLBTR's Matt Swartz.
- If the Yankees do abandon their plan to stay under the $189MM luxury tax threshold, then Rosenthal wonders why the team bothered setting that goal for themselves in the first place when it may have cost them several players over the past year. Rosenthal also suggests Bronson Arroyo as a durable short-term option for New York, noting Arroyo's friendship with Yankees strength and conditioning coach Matthew Krause.
- Rosenthal wonders if the Mariners would be willing to re-sign Kendrys Morales (provided that they're still willing to spend, that is). I'd argue that bringing Morales back as the regular DH would create some problems for the M's — they'd have to trade Justin Smoak, plus play Corey Hart and Logan Morrison in the field every day, which could be a risky move given their injury histories.
- An AL general manager praised the Orioles' trade for David Lough, noting that "he can do everything that [Nate] McLouth does. He might end up being an even better hitter than McLouth.”
I’m starting to question how serious the Rays are on trading Price. They’re not getting the Myers/Shields type trade they got last year, so they may as well get serious or stop trying.
I still think he will get moved and I think the Dodgers are going to be involved. If the Dodgers keep Kemp, I think they will think Joc Pedersen is expendable. I also think they have enough pitching depth in their current rotation to think that Zach Lee might be expendable, too.
I wouldn’t move Pedersen for anything right now. Not with an injured Kemp who isn’t expected to be 100% by April. Not with Crawford who also has injury issues. If you’re the Dodgers, trading Pedersen is a silly idea.
Not to mention, I don’t know if Pedersen is the high-profile guy the Rays want for Price, even added into the mix with others (who all are even lesser prestige prospects than Joc).
Pedersen would be part of a package of good prospects, yes, not necessarily the one mega prospect they got in the James Shields trade (Myers). The Dodgers aren’t moving Puig, that’s just not gonna happen.
I just don’t see the Dodgers moving guys like Pedersen to get Price… nor paying the hefty luxury tax bill they’ll have to with Price added in.
I really don’t think finances are a concern for the Dodgers at this point. Their owners are rich as hell, the team wasn’t spending money under McCourt for years, and they haven’t won a World Series since 1988. I don’t think they have issue with payroll at the moment. I think there might be some sentiment to try to make a mega-rotation and just go for it for the next 2 years. I think Tanaka would’ve been more desirable so they wouldn’t lose any prospects, and you could sign him for longer, but it doesn’t look like he’s coming to the US.
I hear you, I still don’t think LA has the major draw to get Price.
Texas probably does.
The Problem with the Rays they realize that Price is their last big make a difference that they can trade and keep them contending long term so they will want ready or just at the major league level talent with high upside.
Someone like the Reds who could Dangle Tony Cingrani Lefty Starter under team control through 2020, Zack Cozart ss team control through 2018 the above 2 guys proven major league long term control very young talent. then round the package out with top pitching prospect Robert Stephenson top second base prospect Ryan Wright who would be ready to take over for Zobrist in a couple years.
Reds get Price and Escobar
Rays get Cingrani, Cozart, Stephenson, Wright and the Rays also save 5 mil owed Escobar on his contract owed for 2014 and the Red retaiin Escobars 2015 option win win all the way around.
I don’t see the Reds doing that. They operate like a middle-market team and Cingrani is huge for them. Not unless they signed Price to an extension would it be worth losing control of Cingrani until 2010.
You’ve never heard or read a statement from Andrew Friedman that “We’re going to trade David Price this offseason.” Nor would he ever say that out loud even if it was their intent but the point is, the whole David Price thing has been media speculation from the beginning. Given past performance, its reasonable speculation but the Rays have never confirmed it or denied it. Just my opinion because I’m not a wannabe Junior GMan, but I think what Mr. Friedman would seriously listen to is a package BETTER than the Shields/Davis for Myers/Odorizzi/Montgomery/Leonard. The Cy Young winning prize is bigger. Walker and some other pieces from Seattle might have been it. A few other teams have the young MLers and prospects that might work. But other than that, David Price as the Opening Day starter at the Trop sounds pretty good to us. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
I think they want at least what they got for Shields, that’s why their waiting!
That’s what I said. I don’t think they land a trade like that again.
How many more years is Price under team control? I would give a package like what they got for Shields if Price is under control for 2 years.
I agree with Bronson Arroyo.Would be a solid fit would have a rotation of CC Kuroda Arroyo Nova and either Phelps or Warren. Would be a very good rotation
While Arroyo fared reasonably well in a home run park in Cincy, and Yankee Stadium is obviously a bandbox, I question the fit there. Think of the AL East hitting and the parks. I just don’t think it’s a good fit. Yeah, he would eat innings, but I’d set the over/under on Arroyo’s ERA with the Yankees at 4.50. And I’d take the over.
The issue becomes more of what options are there? They don’t want JImenez or Matt Garza and certainly don’t have the pieces to get a very good starter so I don’t know where else to go honestly
Where have they said they don’t want Jiminez or Garza?
It’s been reported by a few baseball writers in articles all winter long that the Yankees don’t appear high on the “big 3” pitchers available. Garza may be the most appealing because he doesn’t cost a draft pick, but I can imagine them not signing any of the three and going scrap heap diving like a few years ago for another starter if Tanaka doesn’t post.
I think he’d be most appealing more so because of experience in the division.
Well sure, but he isn’t a slam dunk in any sense. IMO, I would rather they skip Garza and just go with what they have. He is screaming “waste of money”. Not because I don’t like the guy, but I really worry about his health.
By ‘good rotation’ I think you mean ‘mediocre.’ CC better put the weight back on because he looked utterly human last year. Kuroda is good/great but was his late season swoon something to be concerned about given his age? Arroyo won’t fare well there as a contact pitcher. Nova is a decent #4. Phelps looked awesome in his first taste of the big leagues a couple of years ago but now looks like Phil Hughes. Not sure about Pineda or Warren.
A Gardener extension would be complicated given his similarities to Ellsbury. No way he gets Ellsbury money, but still, he won’t be particularly cheap. I could envision a contract that, including 2014, would be in the 5 year/$65MM range w/ a vesting or club option at $15MM. It would look like this:
2014: $8MM
2015: $13.5MM
2016: $13.5MM
2017: $13.5MM
2018: $13.5MM
2019: $3MM buyout on a $15MM club option.
$65MM guarantee or $77MM total
Except I think that’d raise the luxury tax amount equal to the total AAV of the contract, which wouldn’t benefit the Yankees.
As a Yankee official said, they’re so close to that threshold they might be better off just going over $200MM.
“We either have to be under $189MM or up over $200MM or more,” a member of the organization tells Sherman. “Think how dumb it would look if we worked for a few years to get under $189MM and we didn’t and we were at like $192MM and just missed. Either we go under or way over.”
12 hours ago Rosenthal tweeted that he still believes the M’s should have dealt Felix for a package of Nova/Jesus Montero so I’m not sure I’m even going to listen to what he has to say anymore…
The Mariners need yet another 1B/DH almost as much as they they need another hole in their leaking boat … which is to say, i expect to see Morales signed before the weekend is over.
They should sign him, Morales was, except for Ibanez and Seager the only offense the Mariners had. Trade September Smoak and get a proven player back in the fold.
Ken Rosenthal writes: “* Might the Mariners re-sign free agent Kendrys Morales? It obviously depends upon whether ownership is willing to keep spending … Morales possesses two advantages over free agent Nelson Cruz, another reported Mariners’ target. The M’s could bring back Morales without losing a draft pick …”
Wrong.
The Mariners would lose their second-round draft by signing either Kendrys Morales or Nelson Cruz. If Seattle signs Morales, the M’s lose their second-round pick for signing Robinson Cano. If the M’s sign Cruz, but not Morales, they lose their second-round pick because their compensatory sandwich-round pick was forfeited by signing Cano.
They don’t lose anything for signing Morales nor does any team lose anything for signing a free agent who played for them the prior season. It matters not whether Morales accepted qualifying offer.
The Mariners top draft picks:
1. first round
2. sandwich round ONLY IF Kendrys Morales signs elsewhere
3. second round
4. competitive balance pick at end of second round
The Mariners will lose a draft pick for signing qualified-offer free agent Robinson Cano. Because the M’s first-round pick is protected, that lost draft pick will be the sandwich-round pick only if Morales signs elsewhere. If Morales re-signs with Seattle, the sandwich-round pick never vests and the Mariners therefore lose their second-round pick for signing Cano.
The net result of re-signing Morales is the loss of the second-round pick.
The compensatory sandwich-round pick accrued when Morales declined a qualifying offer, but the pick does not vest until Morales signs with another team.
If the Mariners sign Morales AND Nelson Cruz, the Mariners lose their second-round pick and their competitive balance pick.
Stated differently:
The Seattle Mariners ACCRUED a compensatory sandwich-round pick when Kendrys Morales declined a qualifying offer.
The accrued draft pick will VEST if Kendrys Morales signs with another MLB team
The accrued draft pick will DIVEST if Kendrys Morales re-signs with the Mariners.
Hence the difference between Kendrys Morales signing with the Mariners and signing with another MLB team is one Seattle draft pick.
mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2014/order.jsp
Lough is a fun young guy to watch, he goes 100mph all the time. Will never be an all star but has a ton of value to the team he is playing on.
I’m kinda done listening to Rosenthal when he comes up with gems like Arroyo going to the Yankees because he’s familiar with their strength and conditioning coach. That’s really lazy. If he becomes a Yankee it will be because nobody else has offered him a contract and assuming he wants to play for a winner he could do worse than NYY. He could also do better but that’s beside the point. I’m really getting worn down by the Rosenthals of the world.
The Rays are under no obligation to move Price this offseason. They can revisit this when a mid-season contender is much more inclined to go for him, or they can simply rehash this next winter. Price is a rare talent and they need to get the return they want for him. Somebody’s ace is going to get hurt this year and Price will look even more enticing
What does Rosenthal know…oh yeah, he knows King Felix is NEVER going to resign in Seattle and that we should have traded him for Ivan Nova and Jesus Montero. This guy has zero credibility in Seattle.