While the rest of Major League Baseball embarked on a mad spending spree at the recent Winter Meetings in San Diego, the Red Sox mainly worked around the edges.
In fact, their activity was limited to the final day of the meetings, when they made a Rule 5 draft selection and later added two depth pieces to the roster -- one in the infield, the other for the back of their rotation.
Then again, we knew from the outset that this was going to be a winter of (mostly) subtraction rather than addition as the Sox strive to cut payroll and get under the first luxury tax threshold.
Toward that end, the team will need to slash one significant salary from their roster. Having determined that it's better -- for now, at least -- to hold onto free-agent-to-be Mookie Betts rather than accept 50 cents on the dollar in return, the Sox seem likely to trade starter David Price instead.
That makes sense on several fronts. Unlike Betts, who is eligible to hit the market after next season, Price remains under control for three more seasons, giving an acquiring team plenty of time to recoup its investment. Also, the financial explosion bestowed on high-end pitching (Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole, Zack Wheeler) will undoubtedly trickle down to the next level of free-agent starters (Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dallas Keuchel) -- like Price, all lefthanded and all solid No. 2-type starters when healthy -- and make Price's remaining money ($96 million over three seasons) seem less outrageous.
Already, a number of teams have been identified as having expressed an interest in Price. Here's a look at the contenders, the likelihood of a fit and what the Sox might reasonably be able to command in return:
1. SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Padres desperately need a veteran starter to lead their rotation. They had hoped to entice Strasburg to return to his hometown, but weren't prepared to spend in excess of $200 million. San Diego would represent a soft landing spot for Price - big, pitcher-friendly ballpark with little pressure generated from the fan base and a small media corps.
San Diego would like to unload Wil Myers in any such deal since he's due $68.5 million over the next three seasons. But taking on such a big contract would negate the whole idea behind unloading Price's money. If the Padres were to, say, assume half of what's due Myers, that would make it somewhat more feasible for the Sox, who could use Myers as a first baseman, or, if they later moved Jackie Bradley Jr. and had to shift Andrew Benintendi from left to center, utilize Myers in left.
But Myers' has had a troubling decline in his power numbers the last two seasons (14 homers in 155 games last year with an OPS+ of just 90). And it's doubtful the Sox want to be stuck with a player making $11 million or so over the next three seasons just as he's begun a decline at the plate.
On the other hand, the Padres have one of the game's best farm systems and there must be someone the Sox could target. Perhaps a good prospect and the return of center fielder Manuel Margot (a potential Bradley replacement) would work.
2. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Having bid (unsuccessfully) for Cole and landing Anthony Rendon, the Angels are in win-now mode. They seem to finally grasp that they're wasting the prime of Mike Trout (one career playoff series) and are determined to something about it. But having provided Trout with a strong supporting cast in the lineup, the focus now shifts to pitching.
Again, Price would be walking into a favorable environment -- nice weather, scant media attention. And a trade would reunite him with his first manager, Joe Maddon.
Problem is, the Angels don't have a lot that would interest the Red Sox. Their farm system, not great to begin with, has been further thinned in deals for Dylan Bundy and they just unloaded their most recent No. 1 pick so the San Francisco Giants would assume a bad Zack Cozart contract.
3. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
As with the Angels, Price would be teaming up with someone from his past: president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who made him the No. 1 pick out of Vanderbilt while with the Rays.
The Dodgers stand to lose two starters -- free agents Rich Hill and Ryu -- and while they still have Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler, could stand to upgrade their rotation as they attempt to snap a championship drought that has now reached 31 years. Once more, this represents a good fit for Price in terms of climate and setting (Dodger Stadium is pitcher-friendly and the lefty threw one of the best starts of his career there when he pitched the Sox to victory in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series.
Perhaps more than any team on this list, the Dodgers have plenty to offer. They're not about to give up their best prospects (infielder Gavin Lux or starter Dustin May), preferring to use one or both in a deal for Cleveland's Francisco Lindor. But the Sox could be swayed by outfielder Joc Pederson or perhaps Max Muncy.
4. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
There would be some irony to this swap, since Price came very close to signing with St. Louis before committing to the Red Sox at the 11th hour in December of 2015. There may no more adoring fan base than that of the Cardinals, who enjoy broad, Midwestern support, and the city's relative proximity to Price's Tennessee home would be another benefit.
Like the Padres, the Cardinals would prefer to unload a contract of their own in order to fit Price into their payroll: Matt Carpenter. Carpenter is due $37 million over the next two years and had a vesting option for 2022 with a $2 million buyout. That's $39 million that the Sox would be assuming for a player who is 34 and coming off a down year (.726 OPS). Then again, only the year before Carpenter had an .897 OPS and belted 36 homer. Carpenter could contribute at both first and second base and also seen occasional outfield duty, providing exactly the kind of positional
Again, there's little doubt that the Sox would far prefer to get a prospect in return, but if the Cards took at least some of Carpenter's money back -- say $5 million annually -- he would represent a decent return while still enabling the Sox to save nearly $20 million annually.
5. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox, in a bad division and having been aggressive early in the offseason (signing Yasmani Grandal, re-signing Jose Abreu and trading for Nomar Mazara) need a veteran leader for their pitching staff, which features Lucas Giolito and former Sox prospect Michael Kopech, returning from Tommy John surgery.
Chicago's farm system is a fairly good one, and while they have some young pitching to target, perhaps they could entice Boston with yet another former Red Sox prospect: outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, who went to Chicago as part of the Chris Sale deal three years ago.
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