The Boston Red Sox made the biggest splash of the early offseason by signing free agent pitcher David Price. Before Boston went forward with the move, however, the club apparently had to run the deal by its star player.
That’d be Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who’s had a checkered history with Price dating to the pitcher’s tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays. According to Ortiz, the Red Sox made sure there wouldn’t be any issues between the two before signing Price to a reported seven-year, $217 million contract.
“The organization talked to me,” Ortiz told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber at his annual charity golf event in the Dominican Republic. “At some point the Red Sox asked me, and I told them I got no problem with it. He’s not a bad guy. I know him from before. Things happen in the game, but that doesn’t mean that’s how you are. Our adrenaline kicks in on the field.
“If you go around the league, you hear a lot of people saying good things about him. I know we have our moments. It’s time to turn the page. We’re teammates now.”
Ortiz, of course, only will be teammates with Price for one season, as he announced he’s retiring at the end of Boston’s 2015 campaign. Even if Ortiz and Price aren’t the best of friends, the 40-year-old slugger is willing to coexist with the lefty ace if it means making a run at one more title.
“All that matters to me is winning,” Ortiz added, “and I know that him being on our side, we’re going to win ballgames. I have no problem with that.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
