Trade Rumors: Atlanta Braves Scouting David Price?
By Jeff Schafer
David Price had another amazing day on the mound Wednesday afternoon going 8.1 innings picking up the win and 11 strikeouts. With the Tampa Bay Rays struggling in 2014, Price now holds a 5-7 record with a 3.26 ERA.
Price isn’t having the best season he’s had as a pro and neither are the Rays…meaning the Rays will be sellers at the trading block this summer.
David’s name has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue for quite some time now in possible trade rumors. The Braves GM Frank Wren continues to say he would like to acquire an “ace” caliber player and Price is definitely an ace.
Our own Fred Owens covered this a few days ago when he was talking about the Gavin Floyd injury…Fred touched on what Jim Bowden discussed a few days prior on ESPN. Bowden made the proposal for the Braves to acquire Price.
"Every time I ask Braves GM Frank Wren what the one piece is he’d like to add to his club, he tells me a No. 1 starter.. . . The Braves also know that the other elite teams in the NL — the Nationals, Cardinals, Giants and Dodgers — all have better 1-2 punches at the top of the rotation. . (and to pair with Julio Teheran) need to acquire another ace at some point."
David Price will be an expensive get for the Braves and I do not think it’s possible. The Braves farm system seems to be still recovering from the Mark Teixeira trade and I don’t see the talent that the Rays would be looking for.
The Rays, if rumors are accurate, want a positional player with a high ceiling and not far from MLB ready.
If Price is traded, he would command an obligation of about $25 million with $7 million for the rest of this season plus $18 million for 2015…which is his final year of arbitration before free agency. So any team, if they do give up lots of goods, would have Price for a year and a half.
On Wednesday, Price became the first pitcher since Johan Santana in 2004 with five straight 10 strikeout games. And this is against AL hitters with the DH….think what he would do to NL hitters!!
During Wednesday’s Rays vs Pirates game, Atlanta Braves scout Rick Williams showed up at the Rays game to watch Price pitch. Was this a message sent by Frank Wren to Williams asking to gather to the ballpark to take a look at this phenomenal left-handed pitcher? David O’Brien doesn’t think so…
Rick Williams who lives in area, impression i get is it's due diligence RT @DaltonMullinax: saw braves had a scout at Price's start 2day.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 25, 2014
I wouldn’t get your hopes up Braves fans…I would LOVE to see David Price in a Braves uniform but this just doesn’t seem possible.