According to the Boston Globe : The Boston Red Sox have given David Price the largest deal ever for a pitcher. The Sox have signed Price to a seven-year, $217 million dollar contract, which is $2 million more than the Los Angeles Dodgers gave Clayton Kershaw.
Price was on the free agent market along with Zack Greinke and Price was the first to get signed by a team. Price is a five-time all-star, the 2012 Cy Young winner, the 2012 wins leader, and the MLB leader in strikeouts for 2014. In 2015 Price had a record of 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA, and finished in 2nd for pitching WAR with a 6.0.
David Price signs with Red Sox
In 2015 the Red Sox tried building a pitching rotation with average starters, their rotation had names like Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, and Joe Kelly. With the signing of Price to the Sox it completely blows away their previous highest contract for a pitcher of 4-year, $82.5 million with the signing of Porcello last off-season.
Dave Dombrowski, the President of Baseball Operations for the Red Sox, has had a previous relationship with Price while they both spent time with Detroit Tigers where Dombrowski was the president and general manager. With Price heading to Boston the Sox get to have a pitcher with at least 225 strikeouts for the first time since Jon Lester in 2010.
Since the Red Sox traded Lester back in 2014 they have posted a record of 101-115 and have finished in last twice. With the Sox also trading for closer, Craig Kimbrel back in November, they are looking to improve their pithching even more now with the help of Price and Kimbrel.
The signing of David Price is not the only move that the Boston Red Sox has made this week. Boston has also signed outfielder, Chris Young, to a two-year, $13 million contract pending a physical exam. Young has hit 169 career home runs throughout his 10 year career. He is a career .235/.314/.429 hitter through 4685 plate appearances and this past year with the New York Yankees hit .252/.320/.453 through 356 plate appearances. Young adds some veteran leadership to a very young Red Sox outfield.
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 05: David Price #14 of the Detroit Tigers in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 5, 2014 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Tigers defeated the Yankees 4-3 after 12 innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
