Going into the 2015 MLB offseason, pitcher David Price was catching everyone’s attention as the most coveted player on the board. Even with the dark spot on his stat sheet, the glaring 2-7 record with a 5.12 ERA in the postseason, he seemed to be the most desirable addition for many clubs. Those are not numbers you want to see out of a guy you are going to pay more than $30 million a year. Yet, as it is for all professional sports, ownership has to take chances. Those chances sometimeS come back to bite you big time. Just ask the Nationals about Jayson Werth and his contract. However, when it comes to David Price, I believe things are a little different. Anyone can see it in his eyes and how he carries himself; he wants to win, he just has not pieced it together yet. Now, as a rookie, he came into the 7th game of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox and completely shut them down. As a ROOKIE. Clearly, somewhere the fire is there, and I think he will find it in Boston.
When the news broke about the David Price signing with the Red Sox, millions of thoughts went through my head (unlike Price who had millions of dollars going into his pocket). Some of those thoughts were how many Price puns can one fit into one article? The price is right? Is David over priced? Was the price to steep? I can’t be alone on that subject. On a serious note and as a Red Sox fan, I fully expected Price to sign with an NL team, specifically the Cubs or Cardinals. I figured after spending all these years in the American League he would run at the opportunity to escape the DH, and get some easy outs against those pitchers that swing so hard their helmet ends up going further than the ball (with the exception of Madison Bumgarner and Zach Greinke). He didn’t though. Sure, he had an extra 30 million reasons to come back to the AL, but I respect it regardless.
If Price was coming straight from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Red Sox I would be a little nervous due to the increase in fan base and national attention, as the Rays struggle to draw fans to the park or even get them to tune into the game on the TV. Since he was able to join the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays prior to coming to Boston, he should feel a little more comfortable playing in front of an intense fan base that’s on his side. A very critical fan base at that. Sure, he did play against all these markets, but being on the home side will be an adjustment, and an adjustment I think he is ready for.
After Price, what does the Red Sox rotation hold? Clay Buchholz has proven to be injury-prone and it almost seems as though teammates should be cautious around the club house, for any subtle movement may land Buchholz on the 60-day DL. Then there is the three young lefties: Henry Owens, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Brian Johnson, one of whom is most likely to begin the season in Pawtucket. I expected Joe Kelley to be traded, after going 8-0 in the last 2 months of season, putting his value at his highest. But after trading Wade Miley, I expect him to stay put and fight for a spot in the rotation. Porcello’s contract alone puts him in the rotation, no questions asked.
My 2016 Red Sox pitching rotation prediction (below):
- David Price
- Clay Buchholz
- Eduardo Rodríguez
- Rick Porcello
- Henry Owens
Of course that is all subject to change if injuries or trades happen, but I believe this a rotation that we could see on Opening Day if all stays its course.
If any of you watched the E:60 special on David Price, you would know he almost dropped out of Vanderbilt University to go home and work at McDonald’s. He didn’t know at the time, but that would have been a $217-million vmistake. You made the right choice David Price, see you in Boston.
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