Price May Not Be Right For Rays, Right Now

On the eve of spring training's exhibition season, when questions must be answered, the Rays have a large one looming.

What to do with David Price?

After witnessing Price's postseason coming-out party - he was on the mound when the Rays closed out the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series - the direction might seem obvious. Price, after all, seems to be the consensus preseason choice for AL Rookie of the Year.

But the Rays appear to be treading cautiously when speaking about Price, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound left-hander who was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft. Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive vice president, said if Price was going to the bullpen, the decision would be easy.

Price, 23, will be a starter. The question: Will he start the season with the Rays or Triple-A Durham?

"We look forward to seeing him pitch,'' Friedman said. "He definitely has the ability to pitch at the front of a major-league rotation. We want to determine if he's ready to go six or seven innings in a major-league game. We're going to do what's best for the organization.''

"He may break [camp and make the major-league roster], I don't know,'' Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We don't know that yet. One thing is certain, though. Public opinion and outside influences won't determine the direction we go. We've always been about development and the long-term. That will continue.''

Price, who has a 97 mph fastball and a nasty slider, is hoping to develop a more effective changeup during the spring. He had a 1.93 ERA - with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings - during five regular-season appearances in his September call-up.

In five postseason appearances, Price was 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA and eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

"I don't feel like I've earned anything,'' Price said. "That's what you do in spring training. I'm going to do the best I can. I think I'm ready, but you've got to prove it.''