David Price will start against the Yankees in The Bronx Tuesday night, and with the Rays at the bottom of the AL East, he knows his days with Tampa Bay could be numbered.
And he also knows the Yankees could be a potential landing spot.
“It is a reality, a possibility,” Price told The Post after speaking about the likelihood of finally being traded from the perennially cash-strapped Rays. “I’d have no problem fitting in, I never have. It could happen.”
And while the left-hander said he would rather stay with the Rays, Price is confident he would be up to the challenge of dealing with the increased attention and expectations.
“There’s a lot more emphasis on winning,” Price said on Monday. “You’ve got to be able to accept that challenge. It probably pushes you to be better.”
That’s never been a problem for Price, who already has a Cy Young Award to his credit and is having another standout season, despite having surrendered an uncharacteristic amount of homers. The 17 he has allowed in 17 starts are as many as he’s permitted in all but one previous season.
But the 28-year-old is also striking batters out at a career-high rate.
For much of the year, that hasn’t helped the Rays win games. And while they entered Monday’s series opener at the Stadium still 14 games under .500, the lackluster performance of the rest of the division has given both Price and manager Joe Maddon hope that they can still salvage the season — and hold on to the southpaw.
“I don’t think it would decrease [the trade chatter], but it could decrease the chance I do get traded,” Price said of the ramifications of the Rays playing better. “There’s going to be speculation no matter what. But if we continue to win, I feel like we have a shot.”
They largely have the rest of the division to thank for that.I’d have no problem fitting in, I never have. It could happen.
- David Price
“I think it does help that nobody is playing to their potential,” Price said. “Now’s the time.”
His manager agreed.
“We probably picked the right year in the sense there’s a lot of bunching up going on right now,” Maddon said. “If we’re ever going to have an opportunity [to come back], it would be this year. This last week or so we’ve finally looked as we thought we would look. … I’m kind of eager to see how this all plays out.”
Maddon and Price are no strangers to having trade rumors swirl around the team’s top players.
“We’re always the team that’s going to be raided because of the money perception, based on the pending free agency with our good players,” Maddon said. “Until we get a new ballpark, it’s always going to be there.”
Despite everything else, when asked if he expected to still be with the Rays after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, Price said: “We’re playing well right now, so I do expect to be here. … I don’t want to be traded, but I’ve definitely thought about it. It’s been in the back of my mind, if not the front of my mind at times. It’s part of the business and I completely get that.”
And while he’d rather avoid staying in the AL East — something Tampa Bay’s front office would like to stay away from, as well — Price has thought about pitching in New York.
“It’s the grandest stage in baseball,” Price said. “It’s different here. The fans are good. It’s New York City, the media coverage. The first thing ESPN wants to talk about every single day is what the New York Yankees did the night before.”