Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
In Conclusion
Dombrowski got his man. By all reports, he had nobody else in mind from the get go. Wouldn’t it be amazing to discover that he intentionally traded him to the Blue Jays, just so no qualifying offer could be made and no draft pick lost when he would sign with a team in free agency? Unlikely, but food for thought.
Either which way, Boston has gained, and gained big, and the hot stove has only just started to heat up. The addition of Kimbrel, alongside Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa, changes the perception of the bullpen from sinking ship to unstoppable juggernaut in one simple move. Snapping up Chris Young brings offensive security to an outfield full of question marks. Now the addition of Price completes the rotation.
Price was the ace not only Dombrowski wanted, but that Boston needed. He reliably soaks up innings, allowing the very minimum in runs to leak through. He is an almost unrivaled positive influence to those around him in the squad. Best of all, he’s ours. We never have to face Price again, but he will continue to be the bane of every other team in the league and beyond.
I struggle to find reasons to dislike the contract Price ultimately agreed to, and it’s unfair, to say the least, to suggest this is a bad deal for Boston. It simply isn’t. John Henry’s bank balance may suffer, but the Red Sox turned a weakness into a strength and are unquestionably going to be a force to contend with. One signing can make all the difference, depending on who it is. Price is one of those people.
Next: Boston Red Sox Catching Up With Old Friends - Jake Peavy
It was 4AM, I was in bed, and I couldn’t get back to sleep. But I’m still as excited now as then and I don’t foresee it calming any time soon. The Red Sox have their ace and Dombrowski has delivered on just about everything we could have wanted, and indeed that he promised he would. Now, to stay up and see what he can do with Hanley Ramirez…