It was reported last fall that David Price had trouble adjusting to Detroit. And he’s entering his walk year. Does that mean that Price is sure to walk? Not so fast: he made some noises yesterday about how he’ll be more comfortable with the team having gone through spring training, and suggested a future with them:
"[being in Tigers camp is] going to help a lot,” Price said. “Not just being around the big-league guys, getting to know the minor-league guys that are going to be coming up if I did sign an extension here, the guys that are coming up in a year or two years. There’s a lot of Vanderbilt guys in this organization, so that’ll be awesome to be able to know those guys.”
It’s a big year for Price. While he tossed a league-leading 248 innings with a 3.26 ERA and league-high 271 strikeouts last year, there was a sense that he underperformed after the trade. If he has a solid season, he’s right back to the top of a stocked free agent pitching market next winter. If he and/or the Tigers falter in the first half of the season, he could be trade bait.