David Price Reportedly Plans to Retire After 2022
One of the top pitchers of this generation could be stepping away from the sport following this season.
Left-hander David Price, who’s set to become a free agent after the 2022 season, announced Sunday he’ll consider retirement after his 14th major-league campaign.
In an interview with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Price said, “It’s just time.” The 37-year-old is currently on the 15-day injured list with a wrist injury and explained that “Everything on my body hurts.”
Understandably, this news shocked the baseball community as Price has been an iconic figure throughout the sport since debuting in 2008. An official decision hasn’t been made just yet, though.
Price clarified his initial comments prior to Sunday’s contest versus the San Francisco Giants, saying he’s focused on returning this season and helping the Los Angeles Dodgers capture another World Series. Afterwards, however, he plans to make a final decision over the off-season.
With Price nearing free agency, though, it’s likely that the 2022 season will end up being his last. If that proves to be the case, the 6-foot-5 hurler will surely be missed across baseball.
The five-time All-Star quickly made a name for himself during the 2008 postseason, making five relief appearances while the Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series. He converted his first big-league save in a series-clinching Game 7 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Price spent the next five and a half seasons with the Rays, logging 1,143.2 innings from 2009-14. The veteran hurler made three separate playoff appearances (2010, 2011, 2013) during that span, and won the AL Cy Young Award in ‘12 when he led the league with a 2.56 ERA.
Sadly, the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native pitched himself out of Tampa Bay – as is the case for many talented players – and was ultimately traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2014. The left-hander’s stint in the ‘Motor City’ was brief, but it resulted in an ALDS berth during that same season.
After spending the first half of the 2015 campaign with the Tigers, posting a 2.53 ERA across 21 starts, Price was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. And no one was more excited about his arrival than the fanbase.
For a club that was on the playoff bubble at the time, Price helped energize a hungry core headlined by José Bautista, Edwin Encarnación and Josh Donaldson. In 11 starts, he recorded a 2.30 ERA and 2.11 FIP, earning a 9-1 record.
As a result, the first overall selection’s arrival propelled them to an AL East Division title and an ALCS berth against the Kansas City Royals. The series didn’t end favourably for Toronto, however, as they lost in six games.
Entering the next chapter of his career, Price signed a six-year, $185-million contract with the Red Sox in the off-season. And in doing so won his first World Series championship in 2018.
After four seasons in Boston, the team traded Price’s remaining contract and superstar Mookie Betts to Los Angeles in a salary dump move before the shortened 2020 campaign, which the former Ray ultimately opted out of.
This season, the veteran lefty has exclusively served as a reliever, making 38 relief appearances. He owns a 2.58 ERA and 3.68 FIP over 38.1 innings.
If this is the end for Price, there’d be no better way to cap off his 14-year career than by capturing a second World Series ring.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.