Even before trade rumors indicated David Price could be on the market prior to July 31, it was speculated the Chicago Cubs were a logical landing spot for the left-hander at some point. Will the Cubs pursue him if the Detroit Tigers make him available in the next eight days?
We've talked about Price being a good fit in Chicago due to a number of factors, but that was assuming their goal was to sign him in the offseason. The Cubs have the financial flexibility to land an elite starter, which is something they've prepared themselves for as their position players are under bargain deals for the foreseeable future.
It appears the potential availability of Price has piqued their interest.
"The Chicago Cubs wasted little time this week reacting to the sudden availability of left-handed ace David Price, according to multiple sources," Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago reported.
"Like sharks in a fish tank, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer were among the first to inquire about Price."
However, it's well known Price will not be cheap, which is why the Tigers are considering moving him if they fall further out of the playoff picture. Chicago is keen on maintaining their top prospects as well as the other prime young talent on their MLB roster, so Price simply may not be in their budget.
"You're going to have to give up a lot for David Price," Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star told ESPN Insider Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight Podcast.
McCullough spoke of a hypothetical situation where the Royals might consider Price, but he said the cost would perhaps be too prohibitive.
"The Royals have one mega prospect in Raul Mondesi, who they don't want to trade, and teams will be asking about Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura," he added. "I'm not sure they want to give up four more years of Yordano Ventura for eight starts from David Price, or something like that."
Chicago could be in the same boat. What if the Tigers ask about Kyle Schwarber or Addison Russell? There's no chance the Cubs would do that. They might even be hesitant to give up Javier Baez. And there's a bit more insight on that subject.
"The Chicago Cubs say they would like to acquire another pitcher by the deadline, but insist they will not pay a premium price for a rental," Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports tweeted this morning.
According to other trade rumors, Chicago even seems a bit hesitant in trade discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies regarding Cole Hamels.
"Other clubs say the Cubs are dangling Javier Baez and Starlin Castro as the centerpieces of a potential deal," ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote yesterday. "But the Phillies appear no more than lukewarm about either of them. And it's hard to see how the Cubs could structure an alternate package without trading young players they'd planned to build around, not move."
Hamels, by the way, is under control through 2018 and has a team option for 2019.
The potential availability of Price certainly seems intriguing to Cubs fans because if they acquire him there's a good shot they can retain him after 2015. However, Epstein and Hoyer seemingly do not want to risk mortgaging even a small portion of their future for someone they may not be able to obtain after the season.
Still, they'll be one of the favorites to sign Price to a long-term deal after 2015.
"The Cubs showed interest in David Price last trading season, but that was when he had an extra year of control," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "It's a bit harder to seem them spending in prospects for a rental, but with interest from Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer and the connection to manager Joe Maddon, expect them to be a big player in the winter."
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