Price is Right for Boston

It did not go well. Of these, Porcello will lead the pack making around $21 million per year for the next four years, followed by Buchholz whose team option was picked up for $13 million. Obviously Price is not going anywhere, and neither Henry Owens or Eddie Rodriguez should be gone either.

It won’t look exactly like a straight-line decline, but there is no arguing that all players become less productive as they age.

Especially the Red Sox, who haven’t had a true No. 1 since lowballing Jon Lester out of town. We know from Dombrowski’s tenure in Detroit that he is not so squeamish when it comes to molding the roster in his image. Price is projected to produce 15.6 fWAR over the next three years, so even if we revise that downward to 11 fWAR he would still be worth $92.4 million, very close to the $93 million the Red Sox will reportedly pay him over that span. Without him, they have too many question marks to even be favored to win the highly competitive National League Central race. Kelly has struggled in Boston and has battled injury. The fact that the Red Sox signed Price is not the surprise. With Price signed with the Red Sox, the Cubs and former Red Sox executive Theo Epstein could quickly strike a deal for a different starting pitcher. It may approach the David Wells, Roger Clemens, John Farrell range of displeasure. Anything under 100 means it is better for pitchers than hitters. Yet $217 million is quite a lot of money.

It’s hard to say. Somehow, I think Price is going to continue putting up numbers at least for the next few seasons.

In May 2014 in Boston, the next meeting between the teams, Price hit Ortiz with a pitch in the first inning. During that same time period, though, Major League Baseball payrolls have only increased by around 378%, from roughly $925 million in 1995 to just under $3.5 billion past year…. In 2016, Steamer projections have him producing 5.0 fWAR for Boston. It’s a big-money risk, but that’s the punishment the Red Sox paid for needing such a substantial rotation makeover. The pitching staff was very bad, the free agents flopped and the bullpen fell apart.

Price’s arrival in Boston was desperately needed for a team that was an ace short from the time the opening curtain went up in 2015. It kept the Red Sox from thinking about sneaking out of the basement, but didn’t keep Cherington from thinking about taking a hike when Dombrowski was hired. “We need pitching and David Price is a great pitcher and has showed that for years”.

Price is getting frontline ace money because that’s what he is.

That hasn’t stopped Red Sox fans from entertaining a multi-pronged debate. After the game, Ortiz said, “It’s a war”.

Two things should be noted about the Price contract. He could simply really like Boston!

There seems to be some debate over who is the best pitcher on the market.

Dave Dombrowski, however, does not do reasonable. He is dancing around an open flame and juggling firecrackers. The Red Sox determined that a chance to acquire such a premier pitcher, one who figures to get serious Hall of Fame consideration someday, made it worth the investment. With this signing, Dombrowski has truly arrived. Sure, he’s dropped balls in the past. He was hired to clean up the mess in Fenway for a reason.