ARLINGTON, Texas — If the Yankees acquire David Price from the Tigers, a close friend of the pitcher said there shouldn’t be any angst about the stud lefty fitting into the Yankees’ universe.
“He would be great here,’’ CC Sabathia said of Price, a free agent after the season on whom the Tigers are listening to trade offers as Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline approaches. “We will see.’’
Because the Yankees don’t appear to be willing to deal high-end prospects Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Jorge Mateo, they aren’t viewed as a likely landing place for Price, who turns 30 in late August. He was dealt from Tampa Bay to Detroit last year.
“[Price] is an ace and has been an ace for a long time,’’ manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees’ 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. “He has been durable and takes the ball every fifth day. He is a guy who has been moved a couple of times. Obviously when you are a pitcher of that caliber, a lot is expected of you.’’
Price is 9-4 with a 2.53 ERA this year and has a career 95-55 record with a 3.13 ERA.
Girardi said he wasn’t comfortable talking about the Yankees acquiring a starter when he already has five.
“That puts me in a tough bind when you ask me questions like that,’’ Girardi said. “These guys have gotten us to this point. I don’t know if we are going to do anything. I don’t know if we are going to match up with other teams. I believe the guys in that room will get the job done. I will continue to focus on those guys.’’
Getting hit in the right foot by a pitch Tuesday night was not the reason Mark Teixeira wasn’t in the starting lineup.
“It’s a planned day off,’’ said Girardi, who started Garrett Jones at first base and never found a spot for Teixeira to pinch hit.
Carlos Beltran’s solo homer in the second inning stopped a 16-game, 54-at-bat homerless streak.
Three members of the Yankees’ Dominican summer league program were hit with 72-game suspensions Wednesday for PED use. Pitchers Anderson Acevedo, Anthoniris Santana and Carlos Santana tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, which is a violation of the program.
