Blue Jays: David Price to retire following the 2022 season

*editors note: after the publication of this article, David Price confirmed the earlier reports were not true, and that he is currently undecided about his playing future*

He was only with the Blue Jays for 11 regular season games, but the contributions left-hander David Price made when pitching for Toronto will forever be remembered.

Earlier today, the current Los Angeles Dodger announced that he would be hanging up his cleats following this season, citing his body as the main reason for the decision. He will be joining St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols as another member ending their career after this season.

A first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2007, the left-hander made his MLB debut in late 2008 and spent seven seasons with the club. He won a Cy Young award with the Rays in 2012, pitching to a 2.56 ERA through 31 starts with 205 strikeouts while winning an AL-high 20 games. The Rays would trade him to the Detroit Tigers at the 2014 trade deadline, spending a year with the Tigers before they dealt him to the Blue Jays at the 2015 deadline, with prospects Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt heading the opposite way.

With the Blue Jays, Price was an instrumental part of the Jays squad through the back half of the campaign, pitching to a 2.30 ERA with the club winning nine out of the 11 games he started. Of those 11 appearances, Price went 6.0+ innings in all but two games and allowed two or fewer earned runs through eight of those starts.

Former Toronto Blue Jays starter David Price will retire following the 2022 season

This success did not translate to the postseason, as Price earned the loss in his first ALDS start against the Rangers, going 7.0 innings while allowing five earned runs off five hits with two home runs. He made a relief appearance in game #4, going three innings while allowing three earned runs.

The Vanderbilt product made two starts in the ALCS against Kansas City, appearing in a combined 13.1 innings while allowing 11 hits, eight earned runs, and two home runs with 16 strikeouts, with the Blue Jays losing both games he started.

Price was free agent eligible in the following offseason and signed a long-term deal with the Boston Red Sox worth $217 million over seven years, much to the chagrin of Blue Jays fans. He would go on to win a World Series with the Red Sox in 2018 and was part of the Mookie Betts trade to the Dodgers in the 2019/2020 offseason. The veteran starter did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns but the Dodgers went on to win the World Series, with the club presenting him with a World Series ring that he eventually auctioned off, donating the proceeds to The Players Alliance. 

Over the past two seasons, Price has transitioned more into a reliever role, and so far this year, Price has made 38 appearances across 38.1 innings, pitching to a 2.58 ERA with an 8.7 K/9. He will retire having hit numerous milestones, breaking the 2000 strikeout mark last season and likely making more than 400 career appearances before the season is over, with over 322 starts under his belt and currently owning a 157-82 record.

Price enters Sunday with a career 3.32 ERA with 2076 strikeouts across 2141.2 innings, earning one Cy Young Award, five All-Star appearances, and owning the ERA titles in 2012 and 2015.