Boston finished last in the AL East last season with a 78-84 record, 15 games behind the division-champion Blue Jays.
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Earlier today, they got him: David Price agreed to a seven-year, $217 million deal.
A person with direct knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the deal and was granted anonymity because the team had not announced it. It is expected to be announced on Friday, the person told the AP.
Lester was a beloved player in Boston and had success in both regular season and postseason.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ moves so far this offseason, signing free agent pitcher J.A. Happ and re-signing pitcher Marco Estrada, do not seem to have resonated with oddsmakers. Barring serious injury or underperformance, the lefty nearly certainly will, a decision that would leave the Sox’ initial investment at only three years and $90 million.
But the Cubs could find themselves relegated to trading highly coveted prospects if they can’t sign a free-agent pitcher – such as Jeff Samardzija, John Lackey or Mike Leake – soon. According to USAToday.com, Price will earn $30 million for each of those first three years, $31 million in 2019 and $32 million in each of the final three years. The Dodgers – whose other ace, Zack Greinke, is a free agent – also pursued Price.
The deal would be the largest ever for a pitcher, narrowly topping Clayton Kershaw’s $215 million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014.
Price, 30, began the 2015 season with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays mid-season. He joins a rotation that yielded a 4.39 ERA last season, the third highest in the AL. When David was playing for the Tigers in 2014, Dave Dombrowski was serving as the general manager in Detroit. In a career spent mostly with the Tampa Bay Rays – for whom he won a Cy Young Award in 2012 – Price is 104-56 with a 3.09 ERA.
Price’s star presence wouldn’t have been such a bad thing either for a fan base that seems rather indifferent about its Yankees the last few seasons. It was an offer he simply couldn’t refuse.
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Now, unless he opts out of his contract or is traded, Price has a chance to become the first pitcher to spend his entire career in the American League in the DH era and reach the Hall of Fame.
