Arizona Diamondbacks: 3 Free Agent Pitchers to Target
Oct 23, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher David Price throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning in game six of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Blue Jays’ left-hander is considered at the top of the class of free agent starters. When the D-backs dumped the contract of Bronson Arroyo on the Atlanta Braves (along with sending them 2014 first round pick Touki Toussaint), one could assume management had acquiring Price in mind. Over the past 15 months both regimes of Kevin Towers and Dave Stewart have managed to slice off considerable dollars in payroll commitments beyond this season. Will this be enough to land the former Cy Young Award winner?
It is worth noting that Price turned 30 at the end of August and will command the same type of contract the Washington Nationals gave Max Scherzer. That turned out to be a seven-year deal worth more than $200 million dollars. Though the D-backs have money to spend with their new television contract ready to kick in and the reduction in salaries, handing out all that money does not seem to appeal to team president Derrick Hall. Assuming Price demands seven year, he’ll be 37 by the time that contract ends. The team might be better served saving that money and using it to lock up core players such as A.J. Pollock.
On the other hand, how often does a team get a shot to acquire one of the premier pitchers in the game without having to surrender valuable prospects? Plus, if signing Price results in a World Championship won’t fans not have a problem with how bad the contract is at the end? Signing him and pairing him with one of the game’s best offenses makes the D-backs instant playoff contenders. You may only get this one chance to be great and doing that requires you to swallow hard and ante up for a legitimate number one starter. Think of the message it sends to a fan base that seems to be skeptical on many moves the organization makes.
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