Price Trade

A lot of people say that this was a bad move for the Rays and that they could have pulled away with a much better package of players from another team. I agree with half of this, the fact that they could have brought back a better crop of guys for Price. The part where this was a bad move for the Rays is dead wrong, however. I hope if you've read this far you continue to do so.

First things first, what did the Rays even get out of this deal? They got LHP Drew Smyly and SS Willy Adames from the Tigers and INF Nick Franklin from the Mariners. Basically, the Rays traded a year and half for Price for maybe 15 years of combined big league potential (about five years each as a Ray) and have an average age of about 22. They also don't have to pay another 20-25 million to Price and will be paying much cheaper for three guys.

Next, we should look into how these guys profile.

We'll start with Drew Smyly who will be slotted into the rotation to fill in for Price. Smyly will not be receiving the development that James Shields and David Price got, but will improve with a stronger pitching staff headed by Jim Hickey. This piece of the trade allows to leave a starter with big league experience in the rotation instead of develop another pitcher in AA or AAA. This might potentially leave the Rays still in the playoff race, as they boast the best rotation in the AL East between Cobb, Archer, Odorizzi, Hellickson, and now Smyly. Speaking of which, Smyly has a 4-0 record and a 1.40 ERA in his career vs. the AL East.

Next, we have Nick Franklin, a middle infielder who has shown success in the minors. His past two seasons in AAA Tacoma (114 games) have seen him slug 39 XBHs, score 78 runs, and maintain an .869 OPS (.408 OBP, .461 SLG). He should be able to take over either Second Base or Shortstop by 2016.

Willy Adames seems like a promising, young Shortstop of the distant future (2018, maybe?). His offense is bound to grow once he puts on more bulk and should be a solid defender by the time he reaches higher levels of pro baseball. Should be in AA by the end of next year.

Finally, what did the Rays miss out on? They could have sent Price to the Dodgers for Penderson or to the Cards for Taveras/Piscotty, but they instead got these three players. Personally, I wasn't really looking to trade Price for another outfield guy. I was hoping maybe the Cubs would be the third team in the trade deal and that we might be able to get Addison Russel. Still, the Rays are packed with young guys in the outfield. Myers, Kiermaier, Jennings, and Guyer is a great four man outfield and then there is still Matt Joyce and David Dejesus who would need to be figured out. Overall, I'm just happy we didn't have to make an unnecessary move for another outfielder.

I'd hate to say it, but I think that the Rays really are the winners of this trade. I might be biased,but I really think it's true. The Mariners got their right handed hitter, but Austin Jackson has only had an OPS above .800 once and that was back in 2012. This year, he only has an OPS+ of 99, which is below average. The Tigers got David Price who should give them plenty of great outings down the stretch, but hasn't performed well in the postseason, an ERA of over 5.00. It's not like the Tigers were going to miss the playoffs either.

Congratulations to all teams and I can't wait to see Smyly pitch and will love to see what Nick Franklin can do for us in the future. Also, I wish all of the best luck to one of my favorite players of all time, David Price. He loved the city of Tampa Bay and he loved the fans. It's really a sad thing that the Rays can't afford him and this is how they are forced to be successful.

Go Rays!