MLB Trade Rumors: Price To The Blue Jays? Dodgers, Yankees Still Searching For Pitching

The Detroit Tigers had been hesitant to make David Price available, but once the team decided they were sellers instead of buyers, it didn’t take them long to make a deal. While teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers had been pursuing the starting pitcher, it appears to be the Toronto Blue Jays that have landed the ace left-hander.

According to multiple reports, the trade is all but official, and Price is headed to Toronto in a deal that is reportedly centered around pitcher Daniel Norris. The 22-year-old had a 3.86 ERA in five appearances for the Blue Jays in April and is considered the organization’s top prospect, and one of the best young left-handed pitchers in baseball.

With the longest playoff drought in all of baseball, the Blue Jays are making a hard push towards the postseason. They traded Jose Reyes and prospects for Troy Tulowitzki earlier in the week, and now they’ve acquired Price, adding the best batter and pitcher that were available before the trade deadline.

Toronto’s .500 record has them in third place in the AL East and seven games behind the first-place Yankees, but they are in the thick of the wild-card race. They trail the Minnesota Twins by just two games for the No. 2 wild-card spot.

The Yankees and Dodgers have both been looking to add a starter before the deadline, and Price was thought to be No.1 on their wish list. After Cole Hamels was traded to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night, Price clearly became the top prize on the market.

The Houston Astros were also considered players for Price, even though they have already traded for a pitcher. Houston made the first big move, trading for Scott Kazmir from the Oakland Athletics. They agreed to a trade for Hamels, but the starter vetoed the deal, forcing the Philadelphia Phillies to look elsewhere.

With the likes of Price, Hamels, Cueto and Kazmir off the market, New York and L.A. are running out of options. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake is available, but he isn’t as good as the aforementioned names.

Price made his MLB debut in 2008, and he’s been a perennial All-Star since he became a full-time starter, making the team five times in the last six years. Even after allowing five runs in his last outing, Price is 9-4 this season with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. His 178 strikeouts rank fourth in the American League.

Data Curated by pointafter.com