BOSTON, MA — Reports (including one from the Boston Globe) are swirling that free agent pitcher David Price reportedly signed a seven year, 217 million dollar contract with the Boston Red Sox Tuesday. The reported deal, if true, would be the richest for any pitcher in MLB history. Is Price worth the price tag?
The lucrative contract gives Boston an ace pitcher, something they have been lacking ever since the departure of John Lester. Price, after a shaky start to 2015, pitched masterfully especially after a mid-season trade to Toronto, where he went 9-1 with a sparkling 2.30 ERA. He’s pitched extremely well at Fenway too, a ballpark he knows well from his time with the Tampa Bay Rays. As the market for elite pitchers rises, the former Cy Young winner was certainly worthy of a hefty payday, and the Red Sox in desperate need of a legitimate front line starter with money to spend. It’s a fit match.
But…
Price is as consistent and durable as pitchers come, but he has not been able to shake the perception that he does not pitch well in the playoffs, where he has a 5.12 career ERA and just a single win since his rookie season. Price has not always pitched badly in the postseason, but seemingly has a knack for ending up on the wrong side of games in October. Boston will need to bank on Price exorcising his post-season demons if they want to get back to the World Series, but for now Red Sox fans are simply looking forward to his track record of a lot of regular season wins, something that has been missing for the last couple of years.
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