Detroit Tigers Were Fortunate To Not Commit Long-Term Deal to David Price
Back in 2014, the Detroit Tigers were in the midst of a competitive playoff race in the American League.
Looking to improve their chances of making a postseason run, they pulled off a blockbuster trade ahead of the deadline.
In a three-team deal that included the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners, they landed ace starting pitcher David Price. As part of the deal, Austin Jackson was sent to the Mariners, while Willy Adames and Drew Smyly were traded to the Rays.
The star lefty, who had already had four All-Star appearances and one Cy Young Award under his belt, performed at the level the team was expecting. He helped them make the postseason and was a tough-luck loser in his start against the Baltimore Orioles.
Price pitched eight innings, allowing two earned runs with six strikeouts in a 2-1 defeat that led to the Tigers being eliminated.
Entering the final season of his contract in 2015, he was in line for a massive contract. He did nothing to change that, as he got off to a hot start with Detroit.
Price was 9-4 through 21 starts with a 2.53 ERA across 146 innings, registering a 3.7 WAR. But, with the team falling out of the playoff race, a change was made.
For the second year in a row, the star pitcher was traded ahead of the deadline.
This time it was to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Matthew Boyd, Jairo Labourt and Daniel Norris. The stellar production continued, as he finished second in the Cy Young Award voting.
As a free agent, he signed a seven-year, $217 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.
While the trade package hasn’t bore as much production as the franchise would have liked, the alternative of signing Price to that long-term mega deal was only a little bit better.
As shared by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the contract received a “C” grade as injuries began taking a toll on the lefty. Part of the reason the grade was so low was that the Red Sox used Mookie Betts as a sweetener to clear the contract off their books.
“After posting an AL-best 2.45 ERA in a contract year in 2015, Price signed what was then the richest contract ever for a pitcher. He continued to pitch at a top-of-the-rotation level over his first three years in Boston, helping lead the club to a World Series title in 2018. However, he was traded to the Dodgers prior to the 2020 season as part of the Mookie Betts deal, and the Red Sox ate $48 million and took a lesser return on Betts to get that move done”
It certainly would have been interesting to see how things would have played out differently for the Tigers had the committed to Price, creating a dynamic one-two punch alongside Justin Verlander for years to come.
2015 started a nine-year playoff drought for the franchise, which they snapped this past season with an unprecedented second-half run. While his time with the franchise was short-lived, he made the most of it with a dominant 32-start stretch.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.