It was a long four years in Boston for David Price, who dealt with ups and downs on the mound with the Red Sox and had clashes with local media.
The 34-year-old Price was traded to the Dodgers three weeks ago along with star outfielder Mookie Betts, and the left-hander is already enjoying his new chapter.
“I’ve only been here a couple of weeks but I really couldn’t be happier,” Price told USA Today.
Among Price’s most infamous Boston moments was ripping Dennis Eckersley for saying “Yuck” when he saw Eduardo Rodriguez’s stats on the screen during a game in 2017. Price confronted Eckersley on the team plane and told him to “get the f–k out of here.” Eckersley said last year the two never made amends.
Though Los Angeles is a big market, the lack of media pressure early on has stood out to Price, who’s scheduled to make his Dodgers spring debut on Monday.
“It’s such a big difference from Boston to here,” he said. “Really, it’s night and day.”
One of the big criticisms against Price was his lack of postseason success, but he came up big in the ALCS and World Series as the Sox won it all in 2018. He gave up just one run in seven innings in Boston’s title-clinching Game 5 victory. Boston is currently under investigation by MLB for possible illegal sign stealing during the 2018 season.
“Look, it’s not like I wanted to be traded,” Price told the paper. “I was grateful for my four years in Boston. I went there to win, and we won. But if I had a list of the top three or four teams I would have wanted to be traded to, LA would definitely have been on it. I’m honored to be part of this franchise, and it’s place in history.”
Price, who had a 4.28 ERA in 22 starts last season, has three years and $96 million left on his contract. The Red Sox are covering half of the remaining salary.