The Texas Rangers acquired Cole Hamels in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies and now the Los Angeles Dodgers and NY Yankees could go after David Price with the Tigers after the deal involving Hamels and numerous players, including Matt Harrison and prospects Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Alec Asher.
The Rangers were reported during the past week as one of the favorites for Hamels along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and now he is on his way to Texas. Hamels has a no trade clause, but the Rangers are not on it and reports had the Houston Astros making a "big push" for Hamels, but he would not approve the deal. Hamels has a contract that pays him through 2019 and Hardball Talk reports that the Phillies will "eat some" of the money on the deal. Ken Rosenthal later reported that the Phils are sending $9.5 million in the trade.
The deal with Hamels now puts attention on Price, as he is the top name left among the pitchers. Tyson Ross, James Shields and Ian Kennedy all could be traded by the Padres, while the Reds still have Mike Leake to shop. Price is getting the most interest from teams and Jon Heyman at CBS Sports reports that the NY Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs could be interested. Price is heading into free agency and ESPN reports that the Tigers are preparing to sell.
The Tigers were waiting to see how things would play out in the wild card race and now the team could be considering "rebooting," according to Jayson Stark. Trading Price should get a nice haul and the price for the pitcher could go up with Hamels off the market. The Dodgers are reportedly gearing up to go after Price, as the team pulled off a three way trade with the Marlins and Braves. The team has picked up Mat Latos and they are expected to keep the pitcher, but after getting Alex Wood from the Braves, the Dodgers could flip him and prospects to get Price.
According to MLB.com, the Phillies are trading Hamels and pitcher Jake Diekman to the Rangers for a haul of players, including prospects with catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielder Nick Williams and pitchers Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff and Jake Thompson along with vet starter Matt Harrison. The Rangers are thinking about this year, as they are right in the playoff hunt, but this trade also is big for the team next year when Yu Darvish returns.
The Chicago Cubs are reportedly looking to add a starter and they also could be interested in Price. Price has a connection to the Cubs with Joe Maddon the manager there and he also has a connection to the Dodgers. Andrew Friedman is with LA after being in Tampa and Buster Olney of ESPN said on the radio that the two are "very close" from their time with the Rays. The Dodgers are expected to go after Price along with the Yankees.