Red Sox Pay The Price

Every year, Major League Baseball teams look to find an ace for the top of the rotation. Its either they have it in the system already, or they grab one up in the market, either via trade or free agency. Boston is one of those teams that has been looking for an ace. Boston has made bold moves before, outbidding rival teams for expensive free agents and engineering trades that led to championships. They have done that this time. Not since the days of Pedro Martinez have the Red Sox had a true number one undoubted ace. Now they have one. Boston shelled out big money, to the tune of a seven year deal worth $217 million for Left handed starter David Price. According to sorces who have better knowledge of the agreement, the deal is pending a physical and an announcement is expected to come Friday at Fenway Park. Price, 30, has the right to opt out of the deal after the 2018 season.

This means a lot for a lot of people. First things first, it helps both David Price and the Red Sox. Price is one of the premier pitchers in all of baseball. Price is 104-56 lifetime in the Majors, with a 3.09 ERA. He went 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 225 strikeouts last year, including going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA after the trade to the Jays. Every place he has pitched, whether it be Tampa, Detroit, or Toronto, Price has wopn baseball games. He is lefthanded and can give you 200 innings and 34 quality starts. He is 6-1 with a 1.95 career ERA pitching at Fenway, which is the rubber he will be toing plenty of times over the next seven eyars. He is a five-time All Star. David Price really gives the Red Sox an ace. If you look at the starting rotation the Red Sox had last season, which was composed of Wade Miley, Rick Porcello, Joe Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Clay Buchholz, you can see the argument to be made. Boston hasn't had an intimidating pitching staff since 2013 when they had John Lester and John Lackey at the top of the rotation, hell they haven't had a 20 game winner in Boston since Curt Schilling won 21 games in 2004. This guy gives the Red Sox an ace in an era of mediocrity. This is also one of the biggest contracts that the Red Sox has given to a pitcher in quite some time.

It was something that was badly needed in Boston. Here was a team that seemed to make the playoffs with regularity. Now they have trouble doing that. Since 2010 the Red Sox have made the playoffs once, that was the World Series year in 2014. In fact, Boston has finished in last in three of the last four years, including the last two seasons. This gives the Red Sox a shot at legitimacy. It was something that had to be done in Boston, they needed to go out and make a move if they wanted to be able to compete in this division. Signing Price is reminiscent of what the Red Sox did when they got Manny Ramirez and Keith Foulke. The Sox have secured the best player on the market and they have done it without giving up prospects, which is going to be key if the Red Sox hope to compete for a long time in the East. With this signing, you have to give Boston GM Dave Dombrowski for the work that he has done so far.

Dombrowski has inked Craig Kimbrel to a deal, which locks up a good closer in the Sox pen. Then he went out and added the best free agent starter on the market in David Price. I also don't think he's done. Moves like this, plus the talent they already have on the roster make the team better.This makes the Red Sox legit. And if you really take the time to look at it, you will realize that Dave Dombrowski has had a hand in all three of Price’s moves the past two years. He picked Price up from Tampa in 2014, then just last year delt him away to Toronto. Now he's back at it again, helping the Red Sox land him. Dombrowski is hoping that Price can help another franchise make a turnaround. Look at what happened last year, Toronto hadn't made the playoffs since 1993, and Price helped them get there. Its not as dramatic in Boston, as they have made the playoffs between 1993 and now, but the team has been in last place each of the last two years. So he'll be called upon to try and help get Boston back on track.

With the contract signed by Price, it has to make you wonder a little what kid of offer sheets other free agent pitchers are going to get this winter. Think about this:

(Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe)

Think about this. Price got a huge contract. Jordan Zimmermann got a five year deal worth $110 million from Detroit. There are still some other big name starting pitchers out on the market. There are guys like Jeff Samardzija, Tim Lincecum, Mark Buehrle and oh yeah some guy named Zack Greinke. Greinke is the best pitcher out there on the market at the moment, now that Price has been scooped up by Boston. Since the year Greinke had, what with the lowest ERA in all of baseball, he is going to command a huge deal in his own right. This means that there could be potential for money to be thrown around like water in the offseason. Greinke you know is going to get himself a nice size deal, same as Price did. This could be a very promising year, financially at least, for free agents in baseball, especially those who happen to be pitchers.