Rays Should Keep Price

The Tampa Bay Rays plans going into this off-season were to shop David Price in hopes of getting maximum value in return. Price currently has two years of team control left before he hits free agency.

David Price is a three-time AL All-Star and won
the 2012 AL Cy Young Award.

With the Rays financial restraints they certainly are in no place to re-sign Price so they feel if they trade him with two years of team control left they can get a bounty of a haul in return to keep the team competitive in the tough AL East that features big spending New York, Boston and Toronto.

Last off-season the Rays traded James Shields and Wade Davis to Kansas City for a package of young prospects that included elite OF prospect Wil Myers. Myers made his MLB debut for the Rays in June and went off. Myers, teamed with All-Star 3rd baseman Evan Longoria, to form a deadly tandem that carried the Rays offense for the remainder of the season. Myers won the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Before Myers was called up the Rays were in 4th place in the AL East, hovering at just 3 games above .500 at 36-33 and were 5 games out of first place. After Myers made his MLB debut on June 18th the Rays went 56-38 but it wasn't enough to catch the Red Sox as the Rays finished 5 1/2 games behind Boston.

Wil Myers hit .293/.354/.478 with 13 HR's
and 53 RBI's in 88 games in route to
winning the 2013 AL ROTY award.

The Rays defeated the Rangers in a winner take all game 163 in which David Price completely shutdown Texas, in Arlington, in route to throwing a complete game in a 5-2 Rays victory.

But the Rays weren't done there, they went to Cleveland and defeated the Indians behind 6 2/3 shutout innings by Alex Cobb, to win the AL Wild Card game.

The Rays season eventually ended, losing to the eventual World Series Champion Red Sox, in the ALDS in four games.

The Rays have a very good team that is capable of making one last World Series run with David Price in the fold and I believe the Rays should take that chance. They should sign Grant Balfour to fill their vacant closer's spot. Balfour has been dynamite since 2008 and was a key piece of that Rays team that went to the World Series in 2008 and defeated Boston in the ALCS that season.

Baseball can be a very fickle game. You never know when you're going to get another chance at experiencing greatness as a franchise so when you do you savor it and take any chance possible to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

MLB history is full of teams that were right on the cusp of having a special season before falling off and having a string of disappointing seasons.

The most notable example might be the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates won the NL East (yes they were in the NL East back then) three years in a row, 90, 91 and 92 but lost the NLCS every season. They then lost many key pieces after the 92 season and didn't return to the playoffs again until 2013.

Another great example is the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 93 but have not made the playoffs since.

Yet another great example is the Kansas City Royals. The Royals won the World Series in 1985 and have not made playoffs since.

My point is the Rays have chance to experience a very magically season in 2014. Do not blow it by trading David Price and wondering what might have been. Could the Rays certainly make a run at a World Series without Price? Absolutely but their chances are even better with Price in the fold.

If you keep Price and the season doesn't go as plan you can then trade him at the trading deadline and still receive a great haul in return.