Say hey, baseball: David Price, Tigers are not negotiating an extension

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David Price is a free agent this offseason, and the Tigers are in free fall. They're nine games back in the AL Central but just 3.5 back in the wild card race behind four other teams, so there is hope, but they are also going to be without Miguel Cabrera -- the current AL leader in both batting average and on-base percentage -- for at least another month. Combine that with a pitching staff that can't secure a lead (or can't hold the ones they get), and things look bleak even if they maybe aren't just yet. That explains why Detroit isn't planning on trading its ace, but it doesn't explain why the Tigers aren't negotiating an extension with Price yet.

Price puts the Tigers in a difficult spot. It wouldn't be surprising if he took off after this summer, if only because the Tigers are already loaded with high-end contracts -- one of which, Justin Verlander's, is particularly painful already -- and just this past winter, they let Max Scherzer walk as a free agent after submitting an offer well below his market. So, dealing Price would make a lot of sense if the Tigers feel they are out of it, since all they will get for his departure is a compensatory draft pick otherwise. But, sitting just 3.5 games out of a wild card spot means they aren't out of it. Maybe the next few weeks of July change that, as a lineup with Cabrera in it could barely support the pitching staff. For now, though, Price is staying put. At least until November.

The market for Price would likely be a busy one -- he would be an alternative to the Reds' Johnny Cueto, who is in a similar situation as a free-agent-to-be. He would also serve as an alternative to Cole Hamels, since Price is a rental, and also isn't controlled by a team undergoing a management transformation. The Tigers might even be able to get back more than they originally paid for Price (that deal is considered by many to be a little light) but to do so, they'll have to move him first. And as of now, it seems unlikely they will.

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