Red Sox lefty David Price switches jersey from No. 24 to No. 10

Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher David Price will switch his jersey number from 24 to 10 for the upcoming season. Why the change?

A few members of the Boston Red Sox will be sporting new uniform numbers this season. The most notable change comes from left-handed starter David Price.

The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham reports that Price will change his number from 24 to 10 this season. The question is, why the change?

Price wore the No. 14 through the first eight years of his career through stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays. That number has been retired by the Red Sox in honor of Jim Rice, which is why Price switched to No. 24 when he signed with Boston.

Let’s speculate on a few scenarios that could explain why Price is now changing his number again.

Manny is back!

The last Red Sox player to wear No. 24 was Manny Ramirez from 2001-2008. Could Price giving up the number be a sign that Manny is coming back to claim it?

Let’s put this in the far-fetched category. Ramirez has been out of the league since 2011. While he’s floated through some minor league systems and had a stint in Japan since then, Ramirez’ days in MLB are long gone.

Ramirez didn’t leave Boston on the best of terms when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers midway through the 2008 season. He was also suspended twice for failed PED tests later in his career. Not only would there be zero interest in the Red Sox bringing the 46-year old back, but he’ll almost certainly never have his number retired at Fenway.

Dewey

If the Red Sox ever plan to retire No. 24 it will be for Dwight Evans, who made three All-Star appearances, won eight Gold Gloves awards and two Silver Sluggers while wearing that number for the Red Sox.

Evans is already in the Red Sox Hall of Fame. While their criteria for retiring a number is far stricter, it’s conceivable that they plan to honor Dewey later this year. Price changing his number would pave the way for that possibility.

Predicting a repeat

The Red Sox have won nine World Series titles in their storied history. Could Price’s new number be a prediction that a 10th is on the way? With the playoff monkey off his back, the lefty could be ready to lead the charge this season as the Red Sox aim to be the first MLB team in nearly two decades to repeat as champions.

Section 10

It could be this…

… but probably not.

10 is his dog Astro’s favorite number

I’m not ruling this one out.

He’s messing with the media

Price’s rocky relationship with the Boston media is well documented. While he’s back on good terms with the beat writers and fans following his stellar postseason, perhaps Price couldn’t resist the urge to mess with them. Giving the media a story to speculate on takes attention away from anyone wondering about his video game habits.

Presumably, there is a reason for the change but it’s unclear if Price will ever explain what it is. As long as he pitches the way he did down the stretch and through October, he can wear any number he wants as far as I’m concerned.