The Red Sox have agreed to terms with free-agent left-hander David Price on a seven-year contract worth $217 million, CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman confirms. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe had the initial report on the signing. According to Ken Rosenthal, Price's deal with Boston also includes an opt-out after three seasons.
Price, 30, is coming off a 2015 season in which he pitched to a 2.45 ERA and 4.79 K/BB ratio in 220 1/3 innings for the Tigers and Blue Jays. For his career, Price owns an ERA of 3.09 (126 ERA+) across parts of eight major-league seasons for the Rays, Tigers and Blue Jays. Price won the AL Cy Young Award in 2012, and he has worked at least 200 innings in five of the past six seasons.
Price's $217 million contract sets the record for pitchers, as it narrowly tops the $215 million extension that Clayton Kershaw signed with the Dodgers in January 2014.
The Price acquisition also directly addresses one of Boston's primary weaknesses in 2015, when it finished 78-84 and in last place in the AL East. Last season, Boston used 12 different starting pitchers, and none of them reached 200 innings.
Red Sox president of baseball ops (and former Tigers GM) Dave Dombrowki has in a little more than a year traded for Price, traded away Price and signed Price to a mammoth free-agent contract.
>>Mariners Trade Trumbo To Orioles
The Orioles on Tuesday acquired slugging outfielder Mark Trumbo from the Mariners in exchange for reserve Steve Clevenger. CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman has confirmed the trade.
Trumbo, 29, batted .262/.310/.449 (108 OPS+) with 22 homers for the Diamondbacks and Mariners last season. He has been a reliable source of right-handed power, averaging 31 homers per 162 games played across parts of six big-league seasons.
Trumbo, however, is stretched defensively at any position and is best deployed as a DH, and he's also a low-OBP hitter. That said, Trumbo figures to be a good fit for Camden Yards, which is a park that benefits right-handed home run hitters. He could also see time at first base, assuming Chris Davis leaves via free agency. Trumbo is third-year arbitration-eligible this offseason and slated for free agency next winter.
>>Twins Ink Korean Slugger Park
The Minnesota Twins and Korea's Byung-Ho Park agreed to a four-year, $12 million contract Tuesday afternoon, CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman reports. Their total commitment for Park is $24.85 million, taking into consideration the posting fee of $12.85 million the Twins paid Park's team in the KBO, the Nexen Heroes, after winning a blind auction against other MLB clubs.
Known for his home-run and bat-flip abilities with Nexen, Park belted 53 homers and slugged .714 in 2015. Fans also should not expect Park to flip his bat anymore on long balls; He says the act is retired for safety purposes.
As the Twins roster currently is constituted, Park figures to be the everyday designated hitter in 2016. The success enjoyed with the Pirates by Park's Korean teammate, Jung-Ho Kang, is a strong indicator that he'll be able to hack it over here in the majors. Kang was the first hitter from the KBO to make it in the majors.
