David Price could be forgiven if he snuck a peek at the 3.03 ERA posted by John Lackey over the last two years with the Cardinals and Cubs, or the 2.89 mark produced in the same span by Jon Lester (including the 2.34 ERA this season that has him in the thick of NL Cy Young contention), or the 2.88 ERA produced by former teammate Max Scherzer with the Nationals since the start of 2015, or the 2.79 mark produced this year by Johnny Cueto – the pitcher whom the Giants signed after Price spurned their offer to sign with the Red Sox.
Life in the American League East is simply different. There were eight pitchers with a qualifying number of innings pitched in the majors this year who posted ERAs under 3.00. All resided in the National League. Pitchers accustomed to the small ballparks and deep lineups of the AL East sometimes look like they've gone from running in a pool to dry land when relocating from Price's current division to virtually any National League destination save for Arizona or Colorado.
Price was aware of that fact, of course, when he signed with the Red Sox last winter. He had the experience of a career spent mostly in the AL East with the Rays (though Tampa Bay's home ballpark is far more forgiving to fly balls than Fenway – particularly in a 2016 season that witnessed a home run explosion) and then, briefly, with the Blue Jays last year. Still, he wouldn't have been the first free agent to be seduced by the combination of the chance to enjoy a couple of plate appearances per game by pitchers and the freedom afforded by larger parks.
The lefthander chose the harder – and, of course, more lucrative – path. When he signed up for seven years and $217 million with the Red Sox, he understood the challenges he was embracing. Others (most notably, J.A. Happ of the Blue Jays) proved that the move to the AL East could be made successfully, but that doesn't deny the general challenge presented by the division.
As he watched other elite free agents of recent years thrive in more favorable parks (Fenway played as one of the three most offense-favoring environments in the game this year, along with Coors and Chase Field), did Price remain convinced that he'd made the right choice?
"Absolutely. I'm not shying away from pitching in this division or pitching in the American League," said Price. "I knew that fact coming into it. That was something I wanted to conquer. I didn't do that this year. … It's going to get better. I plan on this being my worst season that I'll have here over the next six seasons. I'll be better."
The Red Sox will need him to be. Particularly in a David Ortiz-less world, the Sox have to find areas where roster improvement can help to address the void created by the departure of their best hitter. A step forward from Price represents a significant possibility in that regard.
With a 17-9 record and 3.99 ERA, a league-leading 230 innings, and 228 strikeouts (the most ever for a Red Sox lefty in a season), Price had a solid debut in Boston. His innings and solid performances offered a crucial element of rotation stability that did not exist in 2015.
"I know that the expectations are enormous for a guy in his situation, coming in under the premise and contract for which he signed. But you're looking at a guy who, the number of innings pitched, the number of games he took us deep into ballgames with a chance to win, a 17-game winner in his own right, everything you're looking for with a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, he provided," said manager John Farrell. "Postseason, that's an area that continues to be addressed. That's something that he's hopefully got many more opportunities to begin to turn the tide on his own personal path through the postseason. From just start to finish, his first experience here, I thought it was a strong one."
That assessment isn't unreasonable. Nonetheless, Price didn't move the needle to the degree that might have been expected. The Sox had a .571 winning percentage when he took the mound. They had a .575 winning percentage when anyone else took the mound. There is room for improvement, much as there was for Rick Porcello in his second full season in Boston, or for Lackey when he returned to the mound in good health in 2013.
While there has been speculation that the Sox might need to move on from Price given his struggles and questions about his comfort in Boston, those spitballed ideas seem to come from the same release point as the ones consigning Lackey or Porcello or Hanley Ramirez to the rubbish bin in recent years.
There is no available free agent who could allow the Red Sox to deal Price while adding a reliable front-of-the-rotation alternative. The Sox already know what the market looks like for elite starters, explaining why they couldn't make trades at the deadline in 2015 or 2016 and why they felt that a $217 million investment in Price last offseason was their most sensible course.
For his part, Price expressed determination to prove that the Red Sox' decision to sign him was the right one – while remaining convinced that the course he's following was likewise chosen wisely.
"I know I made the right decision," said Price. "This gave me a really good chance to win this year. We're going to have a really good chance to win for the years in the future as well. These young guys we have in this clubhouse, all our young talent in the minor leagues, this is going to be a fun place to play. This is going to be a fun team to watch. I really enjoy being on young teams. That's something I emphasized this offseason. I want to have that big window. We have all that young talent, we have a ton of money, there's no free agent we can't get. There's no guy we can't trade for. Whenever you're a part of that, your opportunity to win is good."
Follow Alex Speier on Twitter at @alexspeier.