Respect for David Price

Red Sox Nation, we knew this trade was inevitable but it did not make it sting any less. Like any blockbuster, this trade is complex and has a lot of moving parts. My goal is to write about all the different angles of the trade. This post will be focused on doing something the Boston sports media never did... give David Price the respect he deserves.

David Price’s Boston tenure has been a roller coaster. Over the years, the Boston sports media and fans questioned David Price's character. He did have feuds with members of the media and Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Despite those unfortunate situations they should not define who David Price is. He is a good person who gives back to the communities he is pitching for. David Price spends his free time raising money for youth organizations as part of his charity, Project One Four. On the organizations website there is a quote from Price stating “My parents always told me that if I ever got in a position to give back to the community, I should which is why I started Project One Four.” That does not sound like the David Price that was depicted by our local sports reporters, right? If people want to focus on David Price away from the field the dumb little argument with Eck should not be what is focused on. Price should be defined away from the mound for his work and creation of Project One Four. David Price is a good man and a class act. Unlike other Boston sports writers, I will be giving David Price the respect he deserves in this post.

Respecting a Red Sox Legend

In 2019, David Price changed his number from twenty four in advocation for the team to retire Dwight Evans number. The Baseball Writers Association never gave Dwight Evans the respect he deserves and snubbed him from the Baseball Hall of Fame. He may never reach baseball immortality but not if David Price can help it. Here is a quote from Price from the spring. "But most importantly, I didn't feel like anybody should wear 24. That's how this all started. The initial thing: Dwight Evans is going to be a Hall of Famer, I feel like," 

The respect he showed a Red Sox legend by advocating for his Hall of Fame case is a simple and selfless act but how many players would do that without being asked?

World Series Hero

David Price’s critics always had one thing on him. He struggled when the games mattered most, the playoffs. He silenced those same critics in 2018 by making one simple adjustment. He abandoned his cutter, the pitch the Yankees seemed to have for breakfast in the American League Division Series and starting using his change up. Price’s changeup is one of the better secondary pitches in baseball and using it the way he would normally use his fastball generated more swing and misses. Price’s adjustment resulted in a game five American League Championship Series victory over Justin Verlander, sending the Red Sox to the World Series. He did not stop there. In thirteen and two third World Series innings Price had an Earned Run Average of 1.98, making him a World Series MVP candidate. He did what he was paid to do. Bring a World Series to Boston.

But... Baseball is a Business

The expectations of a two hundred seventeen million dollar contact for seven years  is essentially impossible to live up to in Boston. There is always going to be times the fan base will turn on highly paid players struggle. Injuries are what prevented Price from pitching the way his younger self did. Elbow injuries are tough to comeback from for an aging pitcher, even if they are Cy Young winners. Price battled through the best he could. He should be admired for that but baseball is a business. The ninety six million Price is owed over the next three seasons is a lot for a pitcher who is turning thirty five in August. The Red Sox are paying half of Price's contract but trading him with Betts got them under the luxury tax. That was their goal all offseason and they reached it. The reconstruction of payroll on a team with so much talent forces difficult decisions to be made. In five years, I will remember David Price for being a World Series hero. I hope the rest of the Red Sox Nation does too.