David Price, pitcher, Boston Red Sox
David Price wasn’t all that bad in his first season pitching for the Boston Red Sox. In a league-leading 230 innings, he had a solid 3.99 ERA, struck out nearly a batter per inning and 3.0 WAR. The problem is that he is David Price, former Cy Young Award winner, and the Red Sox gave him a seven-year, $217 million deal.
The expectation isn’t for Price to be all that bad, its for him to be David Price. You know, the guy who led the league with a 2.45 ERA, whose FIP was 2.78, who was worth 6.0 WAR and helped lead the Toronto Blue Jays to the ALCS in 2015. That guy.
If Price returns to his 2015 form, the Red Sox can claim a terrifying rotation that features (undeserving) 2016 Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello, perennial All-Star Chris Sale, 2016 All-Stars Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz, along with himself. That has all the makings of a championship team, but Price is a huge question mark.
He’s 31 years old this season — an age when pitchers normally start to decline. He’d also never played in a market the size of Boston or on a team that expects to win a championship every year before last season. Whether there is a resurgence will dictate if that expectation is fulfilled or if Boston faces another disappointing early-round playoff exit.