Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski provided an update on the health of key lefty David Price, as Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com reports. While the club’s top baseball executive emphasized that there’s still no clear timeline, Drellich explains that the current trajectory makes it seem unlikely that Price will be available before the calendar flips to May.
Price has been dealing with a somewhat nebulous elbow issue, though he has already been cleared of the need for surgery. Today’s update comes amid continued uncertainty — publicly, at least — regarding Price’s outlook, and as the organization continues to looking to bolster their depth
The club is obviously taking the long view here, with Price set to play an important role in 2017 and for many years beyond. While Dombrowski said that he believes the team “could have pushed [Price] a little bit further at this point,” he stressed the need “to take our time” with the veteran southpaw.
That said, the broader news seems to be positive. Dombrowski said he believes that Price “will be fine, based upon what the doctors have told me [and] what David feels.” Though it’s still not quite clear what caused the elbow discomfort, Dombrowski said he suspects that Price was throwing hard early on, owing to offseason workouts that “really loosened up his hip” and left him working “free and easy.”
As for the next steps, that remains unclear. But the team could get some answers tomorrow, when Price is slated to be examined by the club’s head orthopedist, Dr. Peter Asnis. “So based on that, on how he feels, what the next phase will become and when that initiates more throwing with some intensity, I don’t have that start date,” said manager John Farrell.
I wonder if Dombrowski would pull the trigger on Quintana or if they could afford him.
Why?
They need more than just pitching
Why pull a tigers situation and completely gut the farm again
No team is perfect. Sox still have enough to win the East. Carson Smith could be a valuable second half “pick up”. Starter I’m thinking of is Doug Pfister who DD knows from his Detroit days. As there has been apparent little interest, he likely had little left. his cost though should still keep the team under the tax threshold for 2017.
I think DD has done that very thing. The farm is gutted.
Uh,… the Tigers never had a good farm. DD used average chips to build a contender. In DD we trust.
Dombrowski would deplete the whole system if he thought it would assure him a win in the world series.
Who wouldn’t? You’d forego a WS title to have a strong farm so that one day you might….win a WS?
The argument against depleting a farm system is that no title is “assured” but in your scenario it was, so….of course he would do that, yes.
Yes, he would. Isn’t the World Championship the goal?
Who do the Red Sox give up for Quintana. White Sox wanted Devers as part of the Sale trade. Devers and whom else?
Unless they want to give up Benintendi, no one. They wouldn’t get Quintana with Devers as the headliner piece.
I dislike the Red Sox as much as anybody, but they could still swing a deal without Benintendi. Why wouldn’t Devers be enough to headline a potential Q trade? He is a legitimate top 20 prospect and they also have Groome as a top 50. Devers, Groome, plus, plus would be enough for Quintana. It would leave the Red Sox minor league system among the worst in baseball, but they could still do it if they were so inclined.
I think Devers and Bradley along with some minor leagure ptchers would get the deal done.
It would take a minimum of Devers + Groome + considerably more to acquire Quintana
I’m not sure Boston has the 3rd and 4th pieces that would be attractive enough to get the Sox to bite
That, coupled with the fact that Boston’s system would be crippled by another major trade
This could be the beginning of elbow trouble that eventually leads to TJ for price. Always thought he would be a guy like CC who can throw forever and never really have any arm problems. I could see them being really similar when price loses some more velo
Has anyone else noticed how poorly the pitching acquisitions by Dombrowski have fared? Price, Thorsburg, Pomerania, Carson Smith. God help Chris Sale.
Sale is not lights out either. His ERA is about 3.60
His worst season was a 3.41…
Sale is indeed lights out. His career ERA is 3.00, not that ERA paints an accurate portrayal of any pitcher.
His ERA is 3.00. Where on Earth did you get 3.60?
His thought process must have been spinning in circles.
He gets his stats on alternativebaseballreference.com.
You should check it out, it turns out that Darin Ruf won a Gold Glove last year and Denard Span had a 9.8 WAR!
That’s hilarious
Price = Great year in 2016, top 10 pitcher in the AL.
Thornburg = Has thrown literally zero meaningful innings. Controllable.
Pomeranz = Wool pulled over his eyes on current injuries. Did the job he was acquired to do last year, pitch meaningful innings as a 4-5 guy and get them to the playoffs. Controllable.
Smith – Gave up very little for him. Was considered a high risk for TJS when acquired. Controllable.
So he signed a legit TOR pitcher and acquired three controllable pitchers while parting with a disgruntled Miley, 1 blue chip prospect who is years away, a glove first 3B, and a couple B&C level prospects, only one of which is anywhere near capable of helping the parent club in less than 2-3 years.
You can post this as much as you want on as many posts as you can, it won’t make it any less slanted and incorrect.
Price didn’t have a great year last year. He ate innings and struck guys out, but the results were not there. He had an alright year, but it was still a failure considering what he’s getting paid and what was expected out of him.
12th in WAR, 11th in xFIP, and 13th in SIERA. His peripherals line him up worth Bumgarner, Hendricks, Lester, Cueto, & Kluber. You’re right, pretty hum drum group to be associated with last year. Just because you pay a guy huge money doesn’t mean he’s either the best or he’s a bust. Price was extremely valuable last year.
It wasn’t a great year though. His fip was its highest since 2009. His ERA was nowhere near his great years at 114. And while I do value WAR for hitters, I don’t think it’s s good measurement for starters. Aaron Sanchez lead the AL in ERA and was a full run lower than Price yet had a lower WAR. He had a good year, but it was by no means great like you said it was
Sanchez also had a higher walk rate, lower K rate, a negative FIP differential, and a BABIP that’s unsustainably low. Price gave you 230 innings that may not have matched his incredible 2014-15 but fit with his career norms while learning to pitch half his games in a park that’s known to eat up lefties. and his 114 ERA+ matched his 2014 number.
You can toss out his WAR if you feel like it, but he still lines up with some of the best pitchers in baseball in his other peripherals. You can’t knock the guy because he got paid and didn’t put up earth shattering numbers, Price had a great year last year, not Kershaw level, but still a great year.
Your definition of great must not be as high as mine then. Again, a 114 ERA plus is above average, but that is by no means great. 3.99 ERA, nope. The reason his advanced stats were so good was because of his strikeout numbers, and even with them he had trouble keeping runs off the board. A great year is his 2015 one, I don’t know how you could classify 2016 as that. Boston was definitely expecting more out of him, whether you like that or not.
Not worth the $$$ though…and the Sox will still be paying his contract years after that group is long retired.
I love when you would brag about his performance last year. When games mattered he didn’t show up big.
That contract will hang over trader daves head for the next 6 years
Hey jake…you paid more $$
When you compare the contracts of Greinke and Price it’s obvious which one looked better. While I could see both guys returning to form this season, it’s hard to argue with the fact that Price was the better of the two last year
You brought up ERA plus saying his 114 last year was nowhere near his 2014-2015 stretch, I informed you that actually it met his 2014 number and his career norms. The fact that you’re using ERA to justify someones production is shortsighted.
His strikeout numbers weren’t anything gaudy last year, so try something else to justify his peripherals. Were they expecting more last year, maybe but you can’t be disappointed with what he gave you, which were in line with his career norms while adjusting to a new ballpark.
And you handwaving all the bad away and acting like everything has gone according to plan is supposed to be less slanted and incorrect?
What bad am I waving away? Did they over pay for Pomeranz? Yes. Did Pomeranz do what they aquired him to do? Yes. Thornburg hasn’t even thrown an actual pitch for the Red Sox so you can’t label him anything. Smith’s injury was a disappointment, but you gave up dead weight to get him. Smith could never throw another pitch and that trade would still go down as a wash.
Let’s see…
calling david price’s season a success and claiming “Price = Great year in 2016”. He had the worst year he’s had in a few and is on the very front end of a massive contract when he’s supposed to be supplying the most value. Yeah, he was a top 10 AL pitcher, but he’s getting paid to be better than that.
Pomeranz – Not sure how you write off a guy coming over and posting a 4.78 fip as doing what he was acquired to do especially given the price of acquisition.
And trading for a guy who was high injury risk doesn’t just mean you get to write off when he gets hurt.
He’s getting paid what the market dictates, just because he got paid doesn’t mean he’s going to become Kershaw. Did he have the type of year he had in 2015, no, but to think he was going to walk into Fenway and produce crazy numbers doesn’t make sense. He pitched to his career norms and showed progression throughout the season. Pomeranz looks like an overpay yes, but given DD’s track record of shipping off prospects at the right time I’m willing to wait it out before I chastise him for it. Pomeranz wasn’t brought it to front the rotation, he was brought it to be a controllable back end guy and stabilize the shaky 4-5 spots and get to the postseason, which he did. Smith was a low risk high reward trade, you got rid of a malcontent in Miley and added an interesting controllable surplus piece with some injury concerns. When you buy something knowing its probably going to break sooner rather than later you can’t get mad when it does indeed break.
DD has a great history with trades. I don’t know the Red Sox farm system, but you’re probably right.
There won’t be a farm system left when trader Dave is done.
Jake has gone radio silent. Rumors have it that he is wearing his patriots hat today. Lol
You mean like the farms he built in Montreal and Florida? Or the prospects he groomed than flipped in Detroit? He didn’t get those big trade returns for free. Funny how the guys he parted with in Detroit never really panned out.
Not a pats fan, nice to see you have nothing else to do but follow me around the comment section though.
So who is the only blue chip prospect they gave up that is years away?
Espinoza
There might be something to that, I always thought Theo would have gone after Price with Madden at the helm.
There is something there with Price, it all adds up to it. They might not be good enough if he isn’t healthy.
Sounds like he is preparing his fans for bad news. Its been 3 weeks and there is no word he is throwing from the mound or even long toss. Bone spurs dont go away, they just get bigger and may be due to a lax UCL which causes command problems before it tears. Still no word if he has insurance on Price
Lets throw in 217 million dollars and include Kimbrell prospects as well. Together they account for 25% of the payroll
my guess and I am no doctor but this is the start of the end of Price.
Something tells me the Price is wrong!
Im a white sox fan first off. As I would love to make a deal work with Boston I just do not think Dombrowski should empty out his system.
Red Sox fans, realistically what would you give up? Would you consider a package for DROB or a bat?
Please don’t tell Dave.
You know who else is a top 10 pitcher for much less money.
Quintana.
DD has turned the Red Sox into Detroit east. He should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail.
I know this is a fun narrative. But have you ever went and actually looked at Dombrowski’s trade history. The amount of players he gave up that were worth anything in the majors is unbelievably low compared to the amount of talent he acquired in trades. His trade record is pretty great.
I wish baseball reference would have section for GMs and their transaction history,. Would be interesting to see
You can Google it and a few sites have put together his moves from the Expos up to him leaving Detroit. The guy had been incredebily adept at building farms and acquiring pieces in trades.
Seriously? He brought them back from a last place finish!
Price not being able to pitch would be a pretty significant issue for the Red Sox
They currently only have 2 fully healthy starters, and another injury would cripple the rotation
Even with a great offense, the lack of starting pitching right now has to be scary