Marlins Rumors: David Price, Zack Greinke, other expensive starters won't be pursued

The Miami Marlins and their vacant general manager seat will be out of the bidding for the services of David Price and Zack Greinke according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com:

The #Marlins will not pursue top price FA starters like Grienke and Price

— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) November 2, 2015

The Marlins, who could use some sort of help after a distant third-place finish in the NL East, are in a puzzling spot. The rotation, as it sits right now, would be comprised of Jose Fernandez, Henderson Alvarez, and three of David Phelps, Tom Koehler, Jarred Cosart, and Brad Hand.

Perhaps this means Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria could see it fit to spend money elsewhere in order to help the team. Or it could mean that they are looking to acquire rotation help via trade instead. Or perhaps just that they would prefer a back-end starter via free agency instead. That all being said, guessing Loria's next move is, as we all know, impossible.

As for what this means for the Greinke and Price camps, it's never good to lose a potential suitor. However, there are still 29 teams that could be lining up for their services. Furthermore, losing a wealthy team like the Marlins might not pose as big an issue as it seems as well. As Mike Bates pointed out recently, there has been a recent shift in baseball where teams known for being 'small market' still make big market signings.

If this just means the Marlins are looking for better value in free agency, then that still leaves many names on the board. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Marlins have shown interest in Johnny Cueto. If Cueto's price tag ends up getting too high as well there are further second-tier pitchers such as Jeff Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo or Jordan Zimmermann.

This could also mean the Marlins just want to stay out of the bidding war for Greinke and Price because their main focus is signing Yoenis Cespedes.