David Price, the ace of the Tampa Bay Rays staff and reigning American League Cy Young winner was just awarded $10.1125 million in arbitration and will be eligible for free agency after the 2015 season. He figures to be one of the highest paid free agent pitchers of all time if he maintains his performance this year, but there is one destination he says he will turn down even if they lavish the most money on him-the New York Yankees.
This is what Price had to say to Fox Sports about having to lose his beard if the Yankees traded for him; ""I wouldn't stay there very long then," he responded. "I wouldn't sign a long-term deal there. Those rules, that's old-school baseball. I was born in '85. That's not for me. That's not something I want to be a part of."
There has been speculation that the Rays would look into trading the star pitcher with the anticipation that he will price himself out of their range, but as a contender the Rays hung onto him. They dealt "Big Game" James Shields instead to the Kansas City Royals for one of baseball's most coveted prospects, outfielder Wil Myers.
Tampa Bay has been known to part with their stars if the price tag gets to high. In the last few years they've traded Shields, and Matt Garza and allowed first baseman Carlos Pena, outfielder Carl Crawford, closer Rafael Soriano and center fielder B.J. Upton to walk.
If the recent contracts given to starters Felix Hernandez (seven years, $145 million) and Zack Greinke (six years, 142 million) David Price should expect to strike pay dirt as a left-hander. CC Sabathia, the Yankees ace and the best left-handed starter in baseball in 2009 when he inked his deal was given a seven-year $161 million contract and then received a five-year $122 million extension. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! recently speculated that Price is one of three candidates along with Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Justin Verlander of the Tigers who could push to become the first $200 million pitcher.
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