MLB Trade Rumors: David Price Could Go To St. Louis Cardinals; Michael Wacha, Oscar Taveres Potential Trade Baits
The MLB season is just around the corner but the trade rumors continues to heat up. In an article by Paul White of USA Today, he talked about the potential blockbuster deal that would send former CY Young Award winner David Price to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Fresh from a stint in the World Series, the Cardinals look to reload and make another bid to the grandest stage in baseball this season. The Cardinals have young players with incredible upside in outfielder Oscar Taveres and pitcher Michael Wacha, who more than held his ground last postseason.
On the other hand, the Tampa Bay Rays managed to lock in Price for a short rent but the future of the former CY Young award winner remains uncertain, with so many teams knocking on the door.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and even division rivals Baltimore Orioles have expressed interest in acquiring Price via trade. However, the Rays wanted to have prospects ready to make an impact in the big league right away as compensation for letting Price walk away.
Apparently, the Cardinals have the right mix of talents to entice the Rays. The -year old Tavares is considered one of the highest-rated prospects in the minor league, batting .320 with 45 home runs and 275 runs batted in in 374 games for the Cards' farm team.
Meanwhile, Wacha went 4-1 with 2.78 ERA and 65 strikeouts in the regular-season. He also dominated in the Cardinals' National League Championship series against the Dodgers, outdueling two-time CY Young winner Clayton Kershaw in the series.
"The Rays will not and cannot quit on 2014. So, if they trade Price, they're going to want the same type of major-league ready talent they got for [James] Shields," Fox Sports reported.
White brought up the possibility of trading either Wacha or Taveres in exchange for Price, who is considered one of the best left-handed pitchers in the business.
"Power arms and outfield stud Oscar Taveras are a nice start. Maybe they could bid for David Price without including Michael Wacha, but going for one of these guys might put him in the mix," White stated in his article last week.
The analyst admitted that it's going to be hard for teams to pull off this trade at this point of the year. Still, the Cards have all the tools to make the trade happen. With the Rays looking for really good compensation package in exchange for their ace hurler, the Cardinals seem to be a nice trade partner for the AL East Division powerhouse.