The Detroit Tigers are trading ace David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays for a trio of prospects: Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt.
This trade signals that the Tigers (three games below .500 and missing Miguel Cabrera) don't view themselves as contenders. That might seem like reason for Indians fans to celebrate, but it's not. This trade is a bad thing for the Tribe, because Detroit was set to have a really old roster in another year or two, with very little talent in its farm system to upgrade with.
Price is going to be a free agent this offseason, and the Tigers were looking at a compensation draft pick if he signed with another team. Instead they've landed a much more valuable return.
Norris, a 22-year-old left-hander starter, was Toronto's top prospect, and was ranked among the top 20 prospects in baseball by both Baseball American and MLB.com prior to this season. He isn't having a great year in Triple-A, but he's still a very talented player who could become one of the better arms in the American League Central.
Boyd is a 24-year-old lefty who is having an excellent season split between Double- and Triple-A. He was #10 on MLB.com's midseason Blue Jays prospect list. Labourt is less of a prospect, a lefty having a mediocre season in High-A, but he's still only 21, and he's got a pretty great name, so there's that.
The Tigers now have much better options for a Price-less rotation next season than they did when the day began, and it's not as though this trade signals a rebuild for them. They'll still be active on the free agent market this offseason.