A decade after landing David Price, Blue Jays face another franchise-altering deadline decision with Tigers

It was a move that helped solidify their first American League East division title in over twenty years. When GM Alex Anthopoulos pulled the trigger on a trade that brought David Price to Toronto, it was the cherry on top of what was already an eventful few days leading up to and into the 2015 MLB trade deadline.

The 29-year-old Price was dominant down the stretch for the Blue Jays, pitching to a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts, racking up 87 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched. He had a 2.22 FIP and 1.00 WHIP, recording a 9-1 record in the process. The Blue Jays paid for Price using three higher upside prospects, but really haven't regretted letting any of them go.

Now, over ten years later, the Blue Jays find themselves in a similar situation to their 2015 counterparts. They need to find another arm to fit into their rotation and the Tigers once again have a guy that they could use. The only problem is, it's a guy EVERYONE could use as Tarik Skubal is currently the de facto number one target for a lot of teams at this year's deadline - as long as they are willing to pay a handsome sum to retrieve him.

There are a lot more similarities between Price, Skubal and the Blue Jays and it simple comes down to one question, will the Blue Jays pay the asking price?

Toronto wants to upgrade pitching, and Skubal is the biggest upgrade available

It's interesting comparing Skubal to Price. They were both entering their age 29 season's as they headed into the last year of their contract. Price was one of, if not, the top free agent pitcher available going into the 2015 offseason (along with Zack Grienke and Johnny Cueto). Skubal will also stand out amongst his peers and like Price, will likely land the biggest deal when it's all said and done.

They also posted very similar numbers. Skubal, coming into 2026, had an 18.1 bWAR with a 3.08 ERA and 889 strikeouts in 137 games (134 starts). He had a 29.1 K%, with two Cy Young Awards, two ERA titles, a pitching Triple Crown and two All-Star appearances.

Price posted a 22.9 bWAR (with one more full season under his belt), and had a 3.21 ERA, 1147 strikeouts, a 23.0 K% and a 121 ERA+ in 186 games (181 starts) with 1221.1 innings pitched. He had pitched in four All-Star games, and earned one Cy Young award and one ERA title.

The cost to get Price was three pitching prospects all within the Blue Jays' Top 30 going into the 2015 season. The Tigers received No. 1 prospect, LHP Daniel Norris, No. 13 prospect, LHP Jairo Labourt and No. 22 prospect LHP Matthew Boyd. By today's standards in just comparing the rankings, the Blue Jays would have to fork over No. 1 prospect, SS JoJo Parker, No. 13 prospect, OF Blaine Bullard, and No. 22 prospect, LHP Javen Coleman.

For the Tigers that could be enough to get a deal done, depending on what they are looking for. In Parker you get a very young, but very talented shortstop who is tearing the cover off the ball in Single-A Dunedin. Bullard is a switch-hitting outfielder who is also having a productive year, combining power and speed at the Single-A level as well.

Javen Coleman was drafted by the LA Dodgers in the 16th round of the 2023 draft, and since coming over to Toronto's system he has moved up three levels of the minor leagues. He's currently with Double-A New Hampshire where he's sporting a 3.94 ERA in 12 games. He has 24 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched, all out of the bullpen, with two saves and a 1.31 WHIP.

For the Blue Jays, this might be way too much to give up, especially considering the rapid rise that Parker and Bullard seem to be on. The good news is they seemingly have at least a couple of other names they could float out that could be just as intriguing. No. 2 prospect, SS Arjun Nimmala is a name that's surfacing in trade rumors. There's also pitchers such as No. 3 prospect, Johnny King, No. 5 prospect, Gage Stanifer, No. 7 prospect Jake Bloss and No. 15 prospect Nolan Perry.

The Blue Jays likely don't want to deplete their system all in one move though, but for a name as big as Skubal it's going to take some assets they likely don't want to part with. GM Ross Atkins says the team is looking to upgrade their pitching staff. 11 years ago, the previous GM did exactly that.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow