There has been speculation for months that the Boston Red Sox could try to trade Mookie Betts this winter in order to help them get under the luxury tax threshold, but it may actually be David Price who ends up in another uniform to start the 2020 season.
The Red Sox have had discussions about a Price trade with at least five teams, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Those clubs include the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. Price has three years and $96 million remaining on his contract, but trading the left-hander may have become easier over the past week.
As one MLB executive told Feinsand, the contracts that Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg signed may have strengthened Boston’s stance. Cole got a record $324 million over nine years from the New York Yankees, and the Washington Nationals re-signed Strasburg with a seven-year, $245 million deal. While Price has not pitched at the level those two aces have performed at in recent seasons, his $32 million salary “doesn’t look so crazy” anymore, according to the exec Feinsand spoke with.
Some believe the Red Sox will have to attach a starting-caliber player like Andrew Benintendi to get a team to agree to take on Price’s contract, but a source told Feinsand that is not going to happen. It seems more likely that Boston would eat some of Price’s deal before trading Benintendi, who had a down year in 2019 but looked like a budding star before that.
Although he finally exorcised his demons and pitched well in the postseason two years ago, Price has never really seemed like a fit in Boston. He has clashed with the local media and had a highly-publicized feud with Hall of Famer and Red Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley. While Price chose not to opt out of his contract before last season, that was almost certainly only about money.
Price went 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA in his fourth season with the Red Sox last year. He has also battled same elbow issues, but the amount of interest in him indicates teams are not concerned about that.
