"I'm definitely going to give him a hug," Price told the Tampa Bay Times . "I may go from fist-bump to hug to a bow."
Why is Price so thankful to Tanaka, the Japanese ace who agreed to a $155 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees last month?
The way Price figures it, he is still in a Rays uniform because of Tanaka.
When the offseason began, Tampa Bay made it clear Price was on the trading block. The 28-year-old has two seasons left before he can become a free agent, so the small-market Rays seemed likely to move the 2012 AL Cy Young winner during the offseason to get maximum return.
But teams looking to add a front-of-the-rotation starter held off on making offers for Price because they were waiting to see what would happen with Tanaka, who was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last year in 27 starts and one relief appearance for Rakuten Golden Eagles. At least that's Price's theory.
"If Tanaka comes out in 2015, I probably would have been traded," Price said. "I had everything go in my favor to stay here this year."
