Only if the Price is right

— -- It isn't every December, at the winter meetings holiday gift fair, that 29 general managers can grab a shopping basket and find a 28-year-old Cy Young Award winner sitting on the shelves.

But that's the deal (literally) this week, as the Tampa Bay Rays embark on a mission they've dreaded for months, maybe even years. The time has come -- for them to work seriously to trade their favorite ace, David Price, while his trade value is as high as it's going to get, with a gazillion-dollar trip to free agency now just two years away.

You know the Dodgers will be visiting their showroom. And the Rangers figure to be standing in that line. The Mariners have almost openly advertised how interested they are. The Diamondbacks are actively shopping for an ace. And the Braves, although dollar-challenged, have long been intrigued by Price.

If you're looking for a team that could whoosh in out of the clouds, we've heard buzzing about the Padres, who scouted Price heavily last year, and the Cubs, who hired Price's old college pitching coach (Derek Johnson) a little more than a year ago.