Detroit Tigers: Advantages of Trading David Price to the Cubs

The Detroit Tigers made waves at the trade deadline when they acquired David Price. Now, mere months later, there is growing speculation that Detroit could trade Price. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Price is drawing trade interest.

It would seem unthinkable that Detroit would deal its de facto ace (this is if Max Scherzer leaves via free agency, but more on that later) so soon after bringing him in.

The Tigers gave up Drew Smyly, Austin Jackson and Willy Adames to acquire Price. To them, it was a heavy price to pay. To the rest of the baseball world, it was perceived as very little to give up in order to acquire one of the game’s premier aces.

Truth be told, Price has pitched like an ace during his time with the Tigers. That is, with the exception of a wonky outlier of an outing when the former Rays pitcher surrendered eight runs on 12 hits in a mere two innings against the Yankees.

Before that start, Price posted a 2.35 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. He held batters to a .202 on-base percentage during that span.

After the Yankees game, Price pitched to a 3.00 ERA in 45 innings. He fanned 47 batters over that span and walked only eight. His on-base percentage against did jump to .283, but overall the Tigers got their money’s worth.

Why Trade Price?

Why, you ask? Well, for numerous reasons.

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The first reason hinges on Detroit re-signing Max Scherzer, something Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports general manager Dave Dombrowski didn’t close the door on. If Scherzer is re-signed and Price is dealt, it would give the Tigers more long-term stability in the starting rotation than, say, if Scherzer left via free agency and Price followed the same route next offseason.

Price, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, initially wasn’t happy in Detroit. While Heyman reports this sentiment isn’t the same anymore, it might be a red flag in terms of the Tigers ability to re-sign Price for the long run.

Of course, the convenient scenario (and the best case for Detroit at this point) would be to re-sign both Scherzer and Price to long-term deals.   

But if this doesn’t come to fruition, the Tigers could conceivably trade Price and re-sign Scherzer. After all, it wouldn’t necessarily be a downgrade. Assuming Scherzer is re-signed and Price is traded, Detroit would be left with Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello and newly-acquired Shane Greene.

It certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world. In fact, that rotation would likely be one of the best in the league. Detroit has been to one World Series and nearly reached another with Scherzer, Verlander, Sanchez and Porcello logging heavy innings. The formula has certainly worked in the past.

The second reason behind trading Price is that it would help the Tigers reload and restock for the present and the future.

It’s no secret that Detroit has problem areas (the bullpen is one, the bench is another), but it is also a team with numerous players getting up there in age.  

While dealing Price for bullpen and bench would seem a waste of an ace, dealing the former Cy Young winner for elite prospects or young players close to contributing at the major league level does make sense. As Rosenthal pointed out in July, a Cubs/Price marriage could be beneficial for both parties.

Advantages of Dealing Price to Chicago

The Cubs are an obvious fit. Chicago is brimming with elite prospects and young talent. The Cubs depth in top-level prospects is unmatched, but their strength is clearly in position players.

Chicago has talented young pitchers like Kyle Hendricks, as well as prospect and potential front-line starter C.J. Edwards. However, the team has mainly resorted to low-buy reclamation projects—like Jake Arrieta and Jacob Turner.

Chicago could base a package for Price around one of its elite prospects. Kris Bryant, Addison Russell or Albert Almora could play the role of centerpiece in the trade. Edwards, or one of the Cubs youngsters at the major-league level (like Jorge Soler or Javier Baez), could be options as well.  

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Bryant would be the most coveted of the previously mentioned players. He profiles as a prolific hitter and a solid defender. Ranked as the league’s third-best prospect by MLB.com, Bryant could play third base or be transitioned into the outfield, where he would solve Detroit’s corner outfield problems.

With Bryant and J.D. Martinez manning the corners, it would allow Rajai Davis to platoon with Anthony Gose in center field. This situation would be beneficial to all involved parties—including Davis, who mashed lefties to the tune of a .356 batting average but only managed a .247 line against right-handed pitchers. Gose’s paltry batting average against left-handed pitchers (.180) further validates the thought process.

At 22, Bryant has the potential to lead the Tigers into the future and carry the team when the likes of Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera will be winding down their respective careers.

The Cubs prospect would not only be the centerpiece of any potential trade, but he would also be the centerpiece of Detroit’s future. Bryant—along with fellow youngsters Nick Castellanos (also 22), Bruce Rondon (23), Steven Moya (23), Jose Iglesias (24) and James McCann (24)—would potentially give the Tigers an extremely bright future.

Additionally, Justin Grimm (3.78 ERA in 73 appearances) and Neil Ramirez (1.44 ERA in 50 appearances) are two names that also make sense for the Tigers. Both relievers were acquired by the Cubs in the Matt Garza trade with Texas and are young, affordable and effective—three qualities that should be the Tigers’ new M.O. when targeting pitchers.

If the Tigers were to acquire Bryant, Grimm or Ramirez (plus another prospect or two), they would position themselves for the future and the long term.

Bryant is in a position to contribute in the majors as early as 2015. He slugged 43 homers, drove in 110 runs, hit .325 and swiped 15 bases while splitting the year between Double-A and Triple-A.  

It would be a steep price to pay, but Price could be a potential cornerstone and face-of-the-franchise-type player for the Cubs. His arrival could spark a similar turnaround to what the Mariners have accomplished with Robinson Cano.

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In addition, the Cubs have enough athletic infielders/top prospects to more than make up for Bryant’s loss. Russell, Baez or Starlin Castro could slide over to third for the long term.

Price also worked with newly-minted manager Joe Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez in Tampa Bay. At 29 years old, Price is in his prime. Should the rebuilding continue to move quickly in Chicago, Price will still be in his prime when the Cubs are contenders.

In Conclusion

The Detroit Tigers will undoubtedly have a long line of potential suitors should they decide to offload former Cy Young-winner David Price. Most prominent among those suitors could be the Chicago Cubs, a team that offers the perfect blend of young players with extremely promising futures (Kris Bryant being chief among them). If the Tigers can acquire Kris Bryant from the Cubs, it will give them a prolific middle-of-the-order presence that can carry the team for years to come. Receiving hitting tips from Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez certainly won’t hurt either.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.