The Major League Baseball offseason is already off to a hot start when it comes to trades, as big names like Prince Fielder, Ian Kinsler and David Freese have already been moved and now another player has hit the radar, as David Price from the Rays has interest from the Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals and both could make plays for the former Cy Young winner.
Price has been a main trade target this offseason because he plays for the Rays, a team that does not usually pony up the cash for players not named Evan Longoria and heading into the final stretch of his deal, it is very likely that he will be traded. According to the Boston Globe, the Rangers and the Nationals both could end up trying to deal for Price, with the Rangers likely the favorite. Texas has been looking to upgrade all over the place and that is one reason why the team traded for Fielder and now that they have done that, they could be ready for more and Price looks like a target.
The Globe report says that the Nationals will be looking at Jacoby Ellsbury and Price and after the Rangers made their move, it could be time to focus on reworking the pitching staff. The Rangers have the money and the prospects to make a move and they would be getting a very solid, top of the line starter that won 10 games last season with over 150 strikeouts and a sub 3.50 ERA and according to ESPN.com, Price has just one losing season in his career.
Both the Nationals and the Rangers have strong staffs and their rotations were ranked in the topo 10 in ERA, but both had their bullpens taxed and Price is a guy that can give six or seven innings per start on a consistent basis. According to SI.com, the Rangers were in the bottom 10 of quality starts from their pitchers last season, making Price a solid target for the team going forward if they miss out on some of the other free agent pitching. The team made it to the World series in back to back seasons in 2010 and 2011, but the team has been disappointed in each of the last two years and after dealing for Matt Garza from the Cubs, they could try and get Price onto their staff even with the money they will have to pay Fielder.
The team had injuries last season with Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando and with Yu Darvish looking like the real deal, Price could make the team look very strong when it comes to their pitching staff. Some other teams that could get involved includes the Pirates as well as the cardinals and Dodgers, while the Cubs would be a wild card in the whole thing and the main reason they are mentioned is the money, but that's an unlikely move as they rebuild. The Mariners have the money as well and they are planning to chase free agents and if the market ends up going on for a while, they could jump in.