Blue Jays say goodbye, David Price headed to Boston

The Blue Jays won’t be re-signing David Price, and for the proud few who held out hope and the bi-weekly wave of “sources” telling us fate would bring them together. Price is now landing back in the division, however, after signing a mammoth 7-year deal with the Boston Red Sox worth $217 million, tying him for the highest annual average salary in baseball history with Miguel Cabrera.

In a way, that contract number should make this easier to digest for Blue Jays fans. Reports now indicate that the Blue Jays did not make an official offer to Price, and if that price tag is $31 million per season, it’s difficult to argue with that decision.

This deal should kickstart the pitching market from the top down, but a few more dominos may still need to fall until the market reaches the point where Toronto is looking to shop. It’s also been rumored that Darren O’Day could be the first big relief arm signed, another move that would result in a string of reactionary moves eventually leading towards some opportunity for Toronto.

In the end, Price was Canada’s summer love. And that’s OK. Along with the deadline deals for Troy Tulowitzki, LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe and Ben Revere, his arrival represented the Blue Jays pushing all-in on a championship run. One that never came to fruition, but there was great joy in the journey.

In 11 starts with Toronto, Price went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA before experiencing a not-so-kind welcome in the playoffs. He’ll now get a heavy dose of the Blue Jays lineup that helped put some wins on his plate, which isn’t great news for Toronto in the short-term. The battles between he and Marcus Stroman will make for some beautiful baseball, though.

So, despite all of my better judgement, I’ll put this to a poll. Would you, as general manager of the Blue Jays, have given this contract to David Price?