He has struggled in the postseason, posting a 2-7 record and a 5.12 ERA in his career.
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The Boston Globe broke the news Tuesday afternoon that Price had agreed to a seven-year, $217-million deal with the Red Sox.
According to ESPN, Price will earn $30 million in each of the first three years of his contract, $31 million in 2019 and $32 million the final three seasons.
With Jordan Zimmerman recently agreeing to a five year, 110 million contract to pitch for the Detroit Tigers, who will be the next big free agent to sign? Price would be the ace not just on the Red Sox, but on virtually any team in baseball. Price sported a 9-1 record and pitched a sizzling 2.30 ERA across 74.1 innings of work through 11 starts with a 10.5 SO/9 ratio after this year’s trade. However, he was unable to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Series, as the club was defeated by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series.
The addition of Price will also move one of the Red Sox’s current starters to the bullpen, and speculation states that it will be Wade Miley, now that their left-handed necessity is more than taken care of with Price and young gun Eduardo Rodriguez.
With his low ERA and the fact he can sustain consistency and string together wins and just be dominant in the regular season, made him one of, if the not the most, sought-out free agents throughout the league.
The deal didn’t shock baseball executives because the industry knew Dombrowski had targeted Price, whom he acquired from the Rays for the Tigers in 2014.
The financial outlay of course marks a departure for the Red Sox, who had recently dismissed the idea of signing pitchers to huge contracts into their 30s as too risky. They can’t look in their farm system or elsewhere in free agency and find a pitcher like Price for less money.
As for the Yankees’ reaction to such a move, we’ll see whether they make a big splash in the coming weeks, but Price landing in Boston hardly comes as a surprise.
I’m hearing all sorts of opinions in Yankeeland about the Price signing, the day after the Sox snapped up Chris Young.
However, the Red Sox have to know that Price isn’t good in the playoffs at all, turning into a different pitcher in October.
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Our Red Sox blog, Over the Monster, has already done a Photoshop of Price in his new uniform. He is still an elite pitcher and brings a ton of leadership to the Red Sox rotation, and is set to become the ace pitcher the Red Sox so desperately were craving this offseason.
