This season has been a year of redemption for Price. A pair of meltdowns against the New York Yankees early in the year, along with a baffling controversy over his video game habits, had fans once again turning on him. Price has since righted the ship, proving that he’s still capable of being the pitcher Boston thought they signed.
The lefty is 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break. He silenced his doubters by dominating a playoff-bound Cleveland Indians squad in his last outing. Over the last two months, Price has been better than at any point during his time with the Red Sox.
Which leaves us to wonder – are we sure we want this guy to leave? We ran a poll on Twitter which revealed that fans are surprisingly hopeful that Price will stay. It’s hard to believe that would have been the case a few months ago.
Do you want David Price to opt out of his contract with the #RedSox after this season?
— BoSox Injection (@BoSoxInjection) August 24, 2018
I’m starting to lean toward that stance as well. I haven’t crossed all the way over yet, recognizing there is still significant risk in paying for four more seasons of Price. The Red Sox already have a sky-high payroll and will need to lock up core assets like Mookie Betts and Chris Sale before Price’s deal would run out. That money could be utilized elsewhere if Price leaves.
Still, it’s hard to part with a pitcher who is performing as well as Price is now. The question of whether or not we want him to stay in Boston boils down to how confident we are in his ability to keep this up.