Los Angeles Dodgers: The Price is Right
New Los Angeles Dodgers LHP David Price has been somewhat forgotten in the Mookie Betts deal. Price represents a sneaky strong upgrade to a Dodgers rotation.
Whether it is fair or not, when a free agent signs a massive deal, talk about that player begins, centers, and ends with the contract. David Price is a great example of this when he signed a massive 7 year, $217M contract with the Boston Red Sox.
Very rarely do David Price’s actual on-field contributions get talked about. Now that Price is in LA and the Red Sox are paying down a portion of his contract, let’s talk about David Price the pitcher and how this is actually a great addition for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This past season, Price threw 107.1 innings and recorded a 4.28 ERA but was better by FIP at 3.62, and a solid 2.3 fWAR. The innings total was a far cry from the 200 innings season Price recorded in his 20s, but he also just threw 176 innings in 2018 so he can still handle a starter’s workload.
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Another point of upside is Price will no longer be in the formidable AL East and moving to a friendlier home park for pitchers in Dodger Stadium.
Price continued to post solid ground ball numbers at 41%. Despite the fact that Price’s average fastball velocity was down to a career-low 92 MPH, he just recorded the best strikeout rate of his career at 28%.
That career-high strikeout rate didn’t come at the expense of control though, as he was top 20 in K%-BB% at 21% among starters with 100 innings.
Statcast provides more reasons to be bullish on Price. Last season, his all of his expected statistics (xBA, xSLG, and xwOBA) were all lower than his actual statistics, so Price could be in store for positive regression. His .308 xwOBA against was quite above average for pitchers.
For context, that .308 mark matches up to hitters like new teammate Enrique Hernandez, Kolten Wong, and Eric Hosmer. No matter how you cut it, Price is an upgrade on the mound even at 34 years old.
The Dodgers have proven adept at managing pitcher workloads and developing effective plans. Price isn’t the ace he once was, but he’ll be a solid #3 starter for the Dodgers. When the postseason rolls around, Price can start or he can be the lefty postseason reliever Clayton Kershaw isn’t.
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Whether Price is worth his contract in WAR is a secondary concern now. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Price to get Mookie Betts and because they believe he can help them win an elusive World Series title. If the Dodgers can bring a title to LA and Price plays a big role in it, nothing else will matter to Dodger fans.