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There is no question that David Price is currently among the best pitchers in baseball. He is coming off of a season which saw him go 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA and helped pitch the Toronto Blue Jays into the playoffs for the first time since 1993. That is why Price received the seven-year, $217 million deal from the Boston Red Sox.
That is about $140 million more than they offered to their past ace, Jon Lester, before he bolted last year in free agency when the Red Sox were busy signing a bunch of offense and letting all of their pitching go. That is why they needed Price. Their pitching was just a notch above awful all season long. They needed Price to make up for their short-sighted plan last season.
The Red Sox spent a ton of money on a pitcher who has owned the regular season. He owns a career 104-56 mark, 3.09 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and has 1372 strikeouts in 14441.2 innings. However, those numbers don’t look so good in the postseason. His record there is 2-7 with a 5.12 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Against the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, Price appeared in two games, one start, and posted a 7.20 ERA. Against the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS he appeared in two games and posted a 5.40 ERA. Those are not numbers you would expect from the ace of your team. It isn’t an aberration either. There is a history.
Sure, Price could turn it around and see success in the postseason. He could also play to the numbers and continue to struggle in the postseason.
This is a risk for the Red Sox but it is a risk worth taking for them. However, just one year after letting Lester go they are doling out $140 million more for a pitcher without postseason success. They knew what they had in Lester and let him walk. Now, they are banking on the 30-year-old Price for seven years, though there is an opt-out after the third year. The average annual value of the contract is tied for the highest in baseball and the Red Sox are already regretting last year’s spending spree that saw them give out huge contracts to Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. Their contracts were not good contracts in their first year, and there are rumors the Red Sox are already trying to trade Ramirez.
The Price contract won’t be as bad as the contracts handed out last season. In fact, the Price contract is exactly what the Red Sox needed. They just might have spent a lot more than they should have and could end up paying for it in the postseason, which is where the Red Sox want to get to this season. Price will help them get there, but they will need more than Price to get far and they will need Price to change his postseason fortunes in order for this contract to be worth it.
