At the end of the 2015 Major League Baseball season, starting pitcher David Price became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and he was prepared to be wined and dined as contending teams were lining up for his services. Price would ultimately decide to join the Boston Red Sox as the two sides agreed on a seven-year deal for $217 million. Signing Price was a huge boost for the Red Sox as they were coming off of consecutive losing seasons and were in need of a front line starting pitcher.
Price’s first year in Boston saw him go 17-9 with an earned run average of 3.99. Price would lead the American League in strikeouts for the second time in his career, but he would come up short in October.
The Red Sox were expected to make the World Series, but in the American League Divisional Series they were swept by the Cleveland Indians. In Price’s lone postseason start he surrendered 5 runs and only lasted 3.1 innings as the Red Sox would lose Game 2 by the score of 6-0. The loss would bring Price’s career postseason record to 2-8 with an earned run average of 5.54.
2017 would not get started on the right foot for Price after he suffered an elbow injury during spring training. Price would not make his season debut until May 29 when he allowed 3 runs in 5 innings of work in a loss to the Chicago White Sox. On the season Price is 3-2 with an earned run averaged of 4.61 as he is slowly, but steadily showing flashes of the player that won the American League Cy Young Award in 2012. However whereas the Red Sox should be primarily concerned about Price’s left arm, they must also now be weary of other actions on his part.
Price has cut down on his accessibility to the media as he has proclaimed that he will only speak to them on the days that he pitches. Last month at Yankee Stadium, Price got into it with a writer from Comcast SportsNet, while also refusing to do an interview with a reporter from the Boston Globe. This story appeared to be cooling down until Price got into a verbal spat this past Thursday night on a flight from Boston to Toronto with Red Sox color commentator Dennis Eckersley. It is still unclear what sparked the incident on the plane, but this is just a clear cut example of not everyone being equipped to deal with the media and pressure of being a professional athlete in Boston.
Price’s best years came with the Tampa Bay Rays which aside from him winning his only American League Cy Young Award there, he was also a three-time All-Star. Price has also pitched for the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays as he helped each of them reach the playoffs. But only playing in New York City can rival the stress that comes with being a high paid athlete in Boston.
Price went from pitching with the Rays where there were 10,000 people in the seats at Tropicana Field, to pitching in Detroit where the fan base is passionate, but not overbearing. When the Tigers traded Price to the Blue Jays in 2015, he joined a team that had not made the playoffs since 1993, and they welcomed him with open arms. Price was welcomed with open arms by the Red Sox brass as well, however there is a huge burden to carry when you got paid in the fashion that he did.
Price will be 32-years of age next month and his career is at the crossroads. Price was compensated to be “the guy”, but he was overshadowed in the Red Sox starting rotation last year by Rick Porcello who would win the American League Cy Young Award after he won 22 games, and this year by Chris Sale who is 10-3 with an earned run average of 2.77 since Boston acquired him from the Chicago White Sox over the winter. Price must now figure out if taking the money from the Red Sox was worth it, or is it time to seek a trade and go someplace where he does not have to deal with the media or the fans in the same fashion.
But regardless of what happens with Price, he is fighting a losing battle with the media since they have the ability to twist a story around in any form of fashion to people who are gullible enough to believe it. As soon as Price signed his named on the dotted line, he also married himself to lofty expectations. And if Price wants his name to be remembered in Red Sox history with the likes of other pitchers such as Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Curt Schilling, then it all comes down to him letting his performance on the mound do all of the talking as it will make everyone in Boston become his best friend.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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