Since the team is finally competitive, fans of the Chicago Cubs want them to make a big splash this trade deadline. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but there’s one splash they should not make: trading for pitcher David Price.

The Detroit Tigers ace has been on their radar for a while, but if they wait just a few months, they can have Price for (pardon the pun) a fraction of the price. That’s because Price is a free agent this offseason.

Why would the Cubs trade a package of prospects, which would probably have to at least two of the prospect group consisting of Javier Baez, Albert Almora and Billy McKinney, when they could simply sign Price this winter?

Should Price stay in Detroit for the remainder of the season, the Cubs would have to surrender their first-round draft pick if they sign him this offseason. However, if he is traded elsewhere at the deadline and the Cubs sign him in the winter, they do not have to surrender a draft pick.

If they were a dominant force that had a chance to win the World Series this season, it might make sense. However, the Cubs are competing for the second wild card spot, meaning in the best-case scenario, they will likely be playing in a one-game playoff on the road.

Sure, that’s the position the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants found themselves in last season, but the Cubs aren’t the experienced group that the Giants were.

Price has been linked to the Cubs because of his comments at the 2014 All-Star Game stating that “Chicago would be the coolest place to win a World Series” and because of his connection to manager Joe Maddon, who was his manager when they were both with the Tampa Bay Rays.

As one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game, Price will likely command a contract on par with Jon Lester’s six-year, $155 million deal this offseason. He is well worth it for a Cubs team that figures to really hit their stride in the coming years.

What he isn’t worth, is a package of prospects for a two-month rental. The Cubs’ front office and their fans have been patient over the last several years as the pieces have fallen into place for this developing team. That’s admirable from a fanbase and team that hasn’t won a World Series in 107 years.

That’s precisely why the Cubs’ front office needs to stay patient as they move forward. Trading for Price at the deadline would be jumping the gun a year early. With his arm in the rotation, and with the prospects they would have to give up in a trade still in the organization, Price could make the Cubs World Series contenders in 2016 and beyond.

In 2015, the Cubs should stay away from acquiring him.