Blue Jays Trade Rumors: Blue Jays acquire David Price in blockbuster

Update 12:58pm: The trade will be Price for Daniel Norris, Jairo Labourt, and Matt Boyd according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Update 12:39pm: The Blue Jays have acquired David Price from the Detroit Tigers, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The deal will include Daniel Norris, Anthony Alford, and other prospects.

Earlier in the week, the Toronto Blue Jays flipped the trade market on its ear when they acquired shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies. Many were bewildered why the Blue Jays would add another bat to the game’s most potent offense rather than address the obvious pitching needs the team had.

They only needed to wait a few days more.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as the front runners to acquire left-hander David Price from the Detroit Tigers. Heyman notes that Toronto is making a strong push to add him and that the team has the prospect chips to outbid other teams.

Who those prospects are remains to be seen, but Jon Morosi of Fox Sports feels that a deal involving top prospect Daniel Norris, left-hander Matt Boyd, and outfielder Anthony Alford could be enough to swing Price to Toronto. Norris is already on pace to be a Major League contributor in the next few seasons and despite two shaky starts in Toronto, Boyd has risen tremendously in 2015 and could also become a strong Major League starter. However, the biggest riser of the three is Anthony Alford, who now sits at #4 on the revised MLB.com prospect rankings after having committed himself fully to baseball.

That would be a big package for a three month rental player and it appears to be one that other teams won’t be willing to touch. The Dodgers are telling teams they won’t trade either Corey Seager or Julio Urias in any package, and the Yankees have been forward about not wanting to include any of their top-four prospects (Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo, or Greg Bird).

That would seemingly put the Blue Jays in the driver’s seat to acquire the staff ace that the team has been missing over the last several seasons.

Price is once again dominating American League hitters in 2015. In 21 starts, the lefty has posted a 9-4 record with a 2.53 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and a 8.51 K/9 ratio. It is worth noting that Price is currently pitching with a career-low 39.6% groundball rate and his line-drive rate is at a career-high 24%, but he’s also reduced his flyball rate almost 2% since last season and his HR/FB ratio is a respectable 8.7%.

Acquiring David Price is the sort of “all-in” move that fans have been looking for from the Blue Jays, but it is far from a done deal. The loss of Norris would be staggering for the Jays, especially if they are unable to re-sign Price after the season, when he becomes a free agent. Still, it may be worth it to a franchise looking to win now and end a 21-year playoff drought.

It is a weighted risk, but will the Blue Jays take it?

Next: Blue Jays looking at Yovanni Gallardo as fallback option

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