This afternoon sometime around the 4 PM trade deadline, word broke that the Tampa Bay Rays were sending David Price to the Detroit Tigers and a third team was involved. As I chronicled in my running diary from yesterday, word of this caused the baseball world to melt. This was the type of surprise trade that blindsides the baseball world. Sure, most believed for the better part of the last two years that David Price would price himself out of Tampa before he reached free agency, but the Rays came into the season with Price and having won 12 of their last 14 inching closer .500 looked like they may be making a run. Rays decision makers finally decided to make the move in a deal that netted Nick Franklin, Drew Smyly, and prospect Willy Adames. It’s not an easy deal to digest as three teams made moves, but never fear, I’ll unravel it for you.
The simplest part of this trade is the from the Mariners perspective. The Mariners sent Nick Franklin to Tampa Bay in exchange for Austin Jackson from Detroit. For the Mariners, this deal is a no brainer. With the offseason addition of Robinson Cano, Seattle had too many middle infielders. Franklin hasn’t played much and Brad Miller has manned a halfway decent shortstop. They get a 3-5 WAR player for the next year and half for a backup infielder. That Jackson is replacing James Jones and his .287 OBP, means that Seattle should be 1.5-3 wins better for the rest of the year. I’m not sure that that drives them over the edge in a tough AL West, but the Mariners haven’t been in to the playoffs in 2001 and a shot at a Wild Card spot would be extra sweet. It’s a no brainer.
For the Tigers, Price gives them a rotation that is downright scary on paper. Max Scherzer is the defending AL Cy Young winner, Annibal Sanchez finished fourth in that same voting, and Justin Verlander won an MVP in 2011. They’ll be joined by 2012 Cy Young winner David Price in a rotation that should prove impossible in the postseason. The one issue here is that Verlander hasn’t quite been Verlander this year. Even if we assume that the Justin Verlander from here on out is a 4.79 ERA pitcher, which he is not, the Tigers have Annibal, Scherzer, and Price. It’s a dream rotation. That’s the good news.
The Tigers gave up Austin Jackson, Drew Smyly, and minor league SS Willy Adames; that’s the bad news. The Tigers are oddly well prepared to lose Jackson. Rajai Davis slides over to CF and he’s hitting better than I expected, while JD Martinez and Torrii Hunter man the corners. Smyly is replaced by Price – an obvious upgrade. And Willy Adames reminds many of Elvis Andrus, but is 18 and is anything but a sure thing.
All that said, you have to like the deal for the Tigers for the rest of the year. They get David Price, MLB Strikeout leader, for two players that they can immediately replace and a lottery ticket. Next season gets cloudier as Torii Hunter and Max Scherzer become a free agents. I’m not convinced that this deal spells the end of the Max Scherzer era in Detroit come winter, but Price already makes the budget snug. As a Braves fan, watching Elvis Andrus do well in Texas, while Mark Texeira does well in New York is difficult. Tigers fans may soon feel that pain.
Which brings us all the way back to the Rays. Not that he wanted to, but David Price pitched his way out of Tampa. They were going to trade him. To get Smyly, Franklin, and the prospect is not exactly overwhelming. Franklin is highly regarded, but has a career .291 OBP in almost 500 PAs. I’m not convinced he’ll ever be a star. Drew Smyly is good. Drew Smyly is not great. Drew Smyly will probably never be a star. Willy Adames may be a star, but it’s too early to tell.
If this were a report card in third grade, I can’t help but think that the Rays traded one gold star for two check pluses and an unintelligible smudge from a teacher with poor handwriting. That smudge may turn out to be a free voucher for an ice cream party, or it may be a regular old check mark. It’s too early to tell. I’m not sure that anybody knows just yet.
If I’m a third grader, I would want the gold star. I would want to keep David Price.
-Sean Morash
