Detroit Tigers Rumors: David Price’s agent feels trade imminent

Many in baseball circles believe that trading David Price will likely happen, if the Detroit Tigers can get over the fact that they are usually a buyer this time of year and not a seller.

They also need to convince themselves that though they are only four games out of a Wild-Card, the team they currently have assembled is too inconsistent to mount a legitimate playoff run.

The agent for Price, Bo McKinnis, had an interesting conversation with Jim Bowden, Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin of SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio Sunday morning, discussing not only how “it is hard to be optimistic about us staying” but about the Tigers making continuous efforts to retain the lefty ace.

This is something we have heard since when Price was traded here to Detroit just about a year ago, that the Tigers want him back. Of course they do, he is one of the best pitchers in the game and a lefty, which makes him even more of a commodity.

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Although Detroit did not engage in any discussions for an extension last year or into the off-season (probably because they were seeing how the Max Scherzer ordeal played out), they have been negotiating throughout the season.

It seems quite possible that Price and his agent will be asking for more than Scherzer received from the Nationals, a number that scared the Tigers off from retaining their former ace, especially with high dollar contracts to Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander.

McKinnis said that there is “no doubt the Tigers would like to keep him” and he believes that they are still going to try to make an effort to bring him back, assuming he doesn’t get traded.

Still the agent acknowledged that as with the regular season two months away from it’s conclusion, it gets more unlikely that a deal can be made before free agency, though not impossible.

All that could be moot, however, as McKinnis admitted that the Tigers’ recent showing does not give him (and likely his client) confidence that a trade will not happen.

With the trade today of Johnny Cueto to the Royals, and Scott Kazmir to the Astros late last week, it appears the suitors for Price are slimming down, but that could also drive up his price–no pun intended.

Stay tuned to Motor City Bengals this week in what could be an interesting and bittersweet period for the Detroit Tigers and their fans.

Next: Rumors: Price not coming back in 2016