Red Sox President Dave Dombrowski got his man and the Red Sox have their ace, David Price. We discuss why the deal is good for Boston.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Where were you when you heard the news that ace pitcher David Price had accepted an offer of $217 million over 7 years from the Boston Red Sox? I was in bed, it was 4 AM and I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night. I may never sleep again. The sheer exhilaration of seeing Boston take the prize this offseason, perhaps only matched by my wonderment at how well it had been accomplished.
Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski came here and candidly put forward a plan: improve the bullpen, get a 4th outfielder and acquire an ace. Boom, boom, boom.That’s a wrap. Dombrowski has improved the Boston lineup more in two weeks than in two years of offseasons from his predecessor. Moving with shocking alacrity, Dombrowski lept ahead of the market and forced the hand of Price’s agent Bo McKinnis into making a decision before the Winter Meetings even begin and, perhaps more crucially, before Red Sox tickets for 2016 go on sale.
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So who’s interested in going to Cleveland for opening day? We now know who is getting the ball for Boston at least. Price is someone we’ve discussed many times on here before, and not only because of the speculation he might sign with the Red Sox. He’s a prolific pitcher who has spent his entire career in the hitter-friendly American League and almost all of that in our very own AL East, easily the most brutal group of the bunch. And yet he dominates.
Even so, Dombrowski had to go to the nth degree to get his man, someone he had traded for while still GM of the Detroit Tigers. A speculated $30 million over the next highest bid, that of the St Louis Cardinals, and an opt-out clause after 3 years, appear to be critical to the deal. Has Boston not been had with this deal? Is it not likely that, if Price doesn’t use his opt-out, that he will only sit on collecting top dollar for stagnating returns ala CC Sabathia?
I don’t think so and I’ll explain how. Let’s take a look at the nitty-gritty of the deal, the ins and outs of the man himself and why you should remember the moment you first heard the news, for all the right reasons.
Next: Price's contact is actually a steal