After it was reported on Tuesday, the Red Sox officially introduced David Price in a press conference held earlier today at Fenway Park.
Hours after Price tweeted that he loved Boston already, the official Twitter account for the Red Sox presented the number that the pitcher will use with the team and that Garin Cecchini was DFA to make room for him on the 40-man roster.
.@DAVIDprice14 will be sporting #24 on the back of his #RedSox jersey! pic.twitter.com/ul4JX7rZMA
— Red Sox (@RedSox) December 4, 2015
Soon enough, members of the Boston sports media began to talk about his stats against the AL East, his record in postseason and you know, the kind of things that we always speculate about when the Red Sox sign a big free agent. The media is well-known for being harsh on every Boston sports team and how they can tackle a free agent when his name is brought up on rumors related to the Red Sox (see case of speculations surrounding Zack Greinke), so the introductory press conference for Price was something to definitely take a look at.
“When we first talked to Dave Dombrowski last August about how to improve the season, the first person he mentioned was David Price,” Tom Werner said to start the press conference. “He mentioned Dave not only because of his talents on the field, but what everyone in baseball knows about David which is that he is an extraordinary teammate, he is a leader, he has an extraordinary work ethic and he will help not only the entire pitching staff but he will be a great leader to all of us.”
“I think I was just saving all my postseason wins for the Red Sox.”
One of the first questions asked, was about Price’s record on the postseason to which the lefty cleverly responded with “I think I was just saving all my postseason wins for the Red Sox. I know good things are going to happen to me in October.”
Someone asking about his “feud” with David Ortiz was obviously inevitable, but Price had the right answer. He gave the example of how Ian Kinsler and him couldn’t stand each before being traded to the Detroit Tigers, but got over it very quickly. “Big Papi and myself are both competitors, what he’s done for this organization and the game of baseball is extremely special. I’m ready one of his really good friends.”
The Red Sox finally have a proven ace in their staff and whether you like the contract or not, the future looks bright with him at the top of the rotation. He is not only a true top of the rotation guy, but is also known as an excellent teammate.
Jays Journal
It is not unusual to see him hanging around the dugout after he gets shelled, something that not every pitcher does and if you ask any ex-teammate about him, you will only hear good things. Most of the Toronto Blue Jays players are still talking about how he lead the clubhouse to a historic postseason run.
“This is a place that has winning in their history. I definitely think they have winning in their future, they want to win, they know how to win,” Price said. “This is a place that has winning in their blood. Not only with the Red Sox, obviously with the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins. This is a place that’s win and expects to win. This is a place that I want to be part of. I’m ready to help this city win.”