David Price Signs w/ Boston - 7/$217M

[SouthSideRyan]

Yeah, inflation needs to really go crazy for Price to be confident enough that he's getting 4/125 from some team after he turns 33. Maybe he gets 5/140 and prefers that if the (lack of) backloading is right, but the opt out doesn't serve much practical purpose to me.

 

Heyward, on the other hand, could absolutely get another megadeal after a 3-4 year opt out at age 29-30.

 

Maybe he gets another 7 years.

[davell]

I'm a little surprised to see him sign this fast, thought it would drag out.

 

I mean, he lives in Nashville, which is where the Winter Meetings are. I thought it was a definite he'd sign during them.

Why? You think he has a reason to line up his signing for marketing purposes at the GM meetings?

 

Nah, no real logic behind it. Just figured it lined up.

[SouthSideRyan]

That doesn't even seem like an overbid. So much for those reports.

To me, the overpay comes in the form of the opt-out after three years. He's the highest paid pitcher in history, it's probably tough to get much more money after that.

 

Yeah, I hadn't seen that yet when I said that. It's almost pure downside for Boston in the sense that if he completely bombs, they're stuck with him. I guess, on the other hand, if he does well, getting out of 33-36 isn't the worst thing.

 

It's a great thing. You aren't signing David Price to a 3 year contract, but if he doesn't break, the Red Sox just did.

 

if he's just kinda good but not broken, he probably doesn't opt out of $125M/4, does he?

 

Depends what kinda good means I guess? And where baseball economics go.

 

ETA: Which yes is a total cop out response.

Edited December 1, 2015 by SouthSideRyan

[Guest]

so what? if you dont give him an opt out and just give him straight 7/210, and he's good but not great, he can't opt out anyway, so what's the difference

 

well, yeah, i'm just saying it's not as simple as "if he doesn't break, he's gone after 3"

 

if he owns, he can be gone after 3...(incidentally,at which point, he's valued by the market much more highly than 4/125). otherwise it's 7.

[Guest]

Yeah, inflation needs to really go crazy for Price to be confident enough that he's getting 4/125 from some team after he turns 33. Maybe he gets 5/140 and prefers that if the (lack of) backloading is right, but the opt out doesn't serve much practical purpose to me.

 

Heyward, on the other hand, could absolutely get another megadeal after a 3-4 year opt out at age 29-30.

 

Maybe he gets another 7 years.

 

Maybe, he'll have to age really gracefully for that. Greinke will serve as a good barometer in that respect.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Judging by Kershaw, Scherzer, and now this, priority 1 should be locking up Jake.

[SouthSideRyan]

Judging by Kershaw, Scherzer, and now this, priority 1 should be locking up Jake.

 

Not if you're Jake.

[Guest]

Judging by Kershaw, Scherzer, and now this, priority 1 should be locking up Jake.

 

nah

 

at the very least, you see what you can get out of these next two cheap years. i'd probably be inclined to let him walk at 32, but i'd at least enjoy the relatively cheap years for now and see how his arm holds up before i'd lock into anything big, either way. it's not like we're gonna get some great discount coming off 2 years of dominance and a cy young award.

[UMFan83]

BNightengale The St. Louis Cardinals finished runner-up in the David Price sweepstakes. #STLCards

 

of course he's reporting that

 

they were also runner-up in the National League Division Series

[Guest]

https://twitter.com/KYouk_2036/status/671821669959249920

[MarkMero23]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[NonProfitCow]

This dude's on top of things.

[toonsterwu]

I'm surprised that the Cardinals were in the game. That'd be a lot of money for that organization to shell out, and if they were heavily invested on this, sure feels like Heyward was a Plan B option for them. Maybe that helps Heyward leave (although if Olney's tweet is true, that could be somewhere else).

 

As for Price/Red Sox - eh. I thought this was the most likely option for Price, as it fit. He can talk all he wants about comfort and fun, but like Sabathia, money still rules the day. Timing is everything, and Price got it just right, with the Red Sox needing an ace and bringing in a guy that traded for him, a guy that loves making big splashes, and a guy who was going to try and win in the short term. The Red Sox should be very, very good in the short term. We'll see, with the Red Sox greater resources, if Dombrowski can maintain a strong system.

 

The Cubs seem to be all about depth. Okay. That was always a viable option of what was realistic this offseason. If so, I'd still call the Red Sox up and see if there's anything that can be struck between the two sides with the Red Sox extra arms. I figure Owens/Rodriguez are probably untouchable, Buchholz probably won't be moved, meaning Porcello/Kelly/Miley. I'd be somewhat interested in all three, dependent on what it would take (obviously, with Porcello, they'd have to shell out some cash, but you could end up getting ... Jordan ZImmerman performance for less ... or you could get last year. A roll of the dice, but the numbers are positive enough that if enough money is involved (not expecting a boatload, just some), I think it might be worth the gamble as a second pitcher).

[Guest]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/bob-nightengale/2015/12/01/david-price-boston-red-sox-zack-greinke-free-agents-st-louis-cardinals/76630810/

 

David Price teed off Tuesday morning at a charity golf tournament believing he would be spending the next seven years pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

By the time he left the event hosted by former major leaguer Wally Joyner in Long Beach, Calif., Price had agreed to become a member of the Boston Red Sox with a deal that will make him the richest pitcher in history.

 

Price has agreed to a seven-year, $217 million contract with the Red Sox, a person directly involved in the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity since the deal won’t become official until Price passes a physical Thursday evening. Price is expected to be introduced at a press conference on Friday in Boston.

 

The Red Sox were also in negotiations with Greinke, according to a high-ranking team official who asked not to be identified due the sensitive nature of negotiations.

 

Greinke’s representative, Casey Close, told Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski that he wanted an answer by Tuesday night on whether the team would agree to Greinke's contract proposal. Greinke is also being courted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.

 

Dombrowski, wanting to make sure that he would land one of the two pitchers, then went to Price's agent, Bo McKinnis, early Tuesday with an increased offer and said the Red Sox needed a decision from Price by Tuesday night.

 

The Cardinals were also in the hunt for Price, and offered him the richest contract in franchise history, a seven-year deal worth at least $30 million less than the Red Sox's offer. And the Chicago Cubs met with Price but never made a formal offer, according to the person directly involved in the negotiations.

 

Price, a native of Nashville, Tenn., was enamored with joining the Cardinals, who have reached the postseason the last five seasons, with two pennants and a World Series title. Yet, the Red Sox’s offer simply was too strong for him to refuse.

 

Now, unless he opts out of his contract or is traded, Price has a chance to become the first pitcher to spend his entire career in the American League in the DH era and reach the Hall of Fame.

 

And if he opts out, well, the Cardinals and Cubs will be there waiting again.

 

Edited December 2, 2015 by David

[Guest]

That's nearly a million a start. WOW!

[Guest]

whether that's all true or not, i love the blue balls that that article should give cardinal fans

[toonsterwu]

Cardinals/Price rumors were around even in the summer.

 

I was actually wondering...Who says no first to a Schwarber/Rodriguez swap?

 

My guess is both teams say no. Cheap, young pitching with Rodriguez's ceiling would be a nice asset for the Red Sox to put in, particularly since he showed well last year. Where are they going to put Schwarber? DH? They might have to slide Hanley there after this year if they can't move him.

 

That said, Rodriguez isn't a lock as a "#2" type arm, and I'm not so sure the Cubs give up that offensive upside that Schwarber has shown he can definitely produce at unless it's for a bit more certainty.

[XZero771679666304]

I'm surprised that the Cardinals were in the game. That'd be a lot of money for that organization to shell out, and if they were heavily invested on this, sure feels like Heyward was a Plan B option for them. Maybe that helps Heyward leave (although if Olney's tweet is true, that could be somewhere else).

 

 

I'm not surprised they were in it, but from what I've gathered, I think they were probably a fairly distant second, at least money-wise. They have their new TV deal (which should cost them their comp balance picks, but that's another issue), so future payroll should be higher than we're used to seeing them dish out.

 

And I can't imagine that Heyward was plan B, given their needs. I think they were going to try and sign both, if the prices were amenable. If they don't retain Heyward and/or add another significant bat, their offense is going to be awfully underwhelming.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Opt-outs are deceptively bad and it's easy to talk yourself into them. The bad scenarios of the contract are the same, and the good scenarios are still good. They're just less good, and that really shifts the risk/reward calculations.

[Guest]

Cardinals/Price rumors were around even in the summer.

 

I was actually wondering...Who says no first to a Schwarber/Rodriguez swap?

 

My guess is both teams say no. Cheap, young pitching with Rodriguez's ceiling would be a nice asset for the Red Sox to put in, particularly since he showed well last year. Where are they going to put Schwarber? DH? They might have to slide Hanley there after this year if they can't move him.

 

That said, Rodriguez isn't a lock as a "#2" type arm, and I'm not so sure the Cubs give up that offensive upside that Schwarber has shown he can definitely produce at unless it's for a bit more certainty.

 

fwiw, kyle schwarber was worth more in 69 games than rodriguez was in 121.2 IP, which is fair to call roughly a bit over half a season's worth of a SP's season. they're roughly the same age (schwarbs a month older)

 

i also think young pitching is an overvalued concept. pitchers explode. young hitting is actually a real long term asset (or at least more real). i'm not gonna count on a pitcher to last years and years, regardless of his age.

[Guest]

It makes very little sense for the Red Sox, but Rodriguez + JBJ is the type of Schwarber deal I'd consider.

[toonsterwu]

Yeah, I can't see the Red Sox agreeing to that unless there are other assets involved. If early rumors were true, they aren't planning on moving Rodriguez anyways. Owens might be possible, but I doubt that. To be quite honest, if the price is right, I really do have some level of interest in Porcello/Miley/Kelly, perhaps as much interest as I would have in Miller/Teheran (partly because I think the former guys might be a tad cheaper than the latter guys in trade costs, as the Red Sox have a filled rotation).

 

All in all, I think there's going to be a good 2nd tier arm waiting in early 2016 for a team, and I wouldn't mind one 2nd tier signing, maybe a depth move, and saving some money to see if there's a "bargain" (my current bet - the market seems pretty much expected - Zimmerman/Price haven't blown the doors away on expectations. If Boras really wants 20 mil/year for Wei Yin Chen, he may still be looking for a home next spring).

[Guest]

i just dont get why there's a need to trade for a starter after a samardzija acquisition.

 

arrieta is locked in cheap for two years. lester is locked in. then you have samardzija. you already have hammel and hendricks. you're talking about the 4th and 5th spot in the rotation. you don't need anyone locked in there long term either. you can just churn those spots with buy low guys and guys you luck into from the minors or whatever.

 

hell, even if you don't get samardzija, i'd rather sign lackey or leake (or kazmir?) than trade one of our hitters for some of the pitchers being talked about.

[Guancous]

Price was never not going to get the largest pitcher contract in history. Save that kind of SP contract for whoever between Otani/Fujinami is alive and arrives in their mid-20s. Heyward this year, Chapman next year, 2018 maybe goes to Brett Lawrie at 28, the next year is Harper, and after that whichever of those two pitchers arrive. Duh.

 

I'll bite. How well do you see Brett Lawrie performing over the next two years?

[davell]

i just dont get why there's a need to trade for a starter after a samardzija acquisition.

 

arrieta is locked in cheap for two years. lester is locked in. then you have samardzija. you already have hammel and hendricks. you're talking about the 4th and 5th spot in the rotation. you don't need anyone locked in there long term either. you can just churn those spots with buy low guys and guys you luck into from the minors or whatever.

 

hell, even if you don't get samardzija, i'd rather sign lackey or leake (or kazmir?) than trade one of our hitters for some of the pitchers being talked about.

 

We don't need but one guy, but I'd definitely feel more comfortable with two. Counting on health is risky enough with pitching, probably more so coming off how healthy we stayed this past year. That said, we could add depth with the Mastersons of the world and I'd be quite fine honestly, after adding one of the group you mentioned.