Why did you hate it so much? Why did you make things so difficult for yourself? I know this can be a tough place to play, but you made it much harder by being sulky and stubborn. Every day. It encouraged folks to overlook significant contributions you made in your four seasons.
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I loved your game when you pitched for the Rays, Jays, and Tigers. I loved it when you stood up to David Ortiz after Big Papi pimped a couple of homers in the playoffs. You seemed like a thoughtful guy with great talent who would be a good fit here. But you were not. It was a disaster. You didn’t like it here and the fans didn’t like you.
I guess it started with the contract. Seven years, $217 million. Those numbers became part of your name. It’s a lot to live up to. But you made things way more difficult by playing the victim every single day.
I remember talking to you at your locker that first day in Fort Myers in February of 2016. We talked a little about Vanderbilt baseball and basketball. I told you not to believe all those nasty things your former teammate Carl Crawford said about Boston. I told you any Red Sox star could hide out in Cambridge and never be recognized. You said you wouldn’t pay attention to inevitable criticism, adding, “I don’t watch MLB Network or read the papers or stuff online. I just keep moving forward.’’
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Not true. It turned out that you had an obsession with negative commentary. You couldn’t stay off social media. You were bothered when Twit-wits made fun of your dog, Astro. You thought media commentators were out to get you. You even thought NESN was negative. And you brought that attitude to work every day of your four seasons at Fenway (these days, we’re calling it “Tropicana by the Charles”).
In your first year with the Sox, you went 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA, starting 35 games and leading the majors in innings. You got blown up in your only playoff start, but it was a pretty good season. Ever a believer in your talent, I defended you to the negative nabobs. Go easy on David Price, I urged.
On Baseball: Any Red Sox fans happy David Price is gone should reconsider
In early May of 2017, you had a fit in the clubhouse after a game against the Yankees. You didn’t even pitch that night, but were stewing about some tweets and went off on everybody. Two and a half weeks later, you lit into Dennis Eckersley on that flight from Boston to Toronto. That was a disaster. Fans hated you for it. You never apologized and never let it go.
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Let’s get one thing straight about your rant on Eck: It was not a defense of Eduardo Rodriguez after Eck said “Yuck” regarding Eddie’s performance in a rehab start. No. You were upset because you thought Eck was too critical every day. Eckersley had been critical of you for taking too long between pitches. You didn’t like it.
We talked about this in Anaheim three weeks after the blowup. That was an uncomfortable conversation. When I explained that Eckersley is a smart and fair commentator, with an unimpeachable big league résumé, you said, “You’re wrong! If you think that, you’re confused! Ask anybody in this room!’’
You were poison that year. You were sidelined with an elbow problem, angry at the media, and angry at the fans every day. Any time you were asked about it, you would just say, “I like the 24 guys in this room.’’
A year later, you dominated in the postseason. You went 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in six playoff games. You should have been MVP of the World Series when you went 2-0 with a 1.98 in three appearances over five games against the Dodgers. That’s when you told us that you now had the “trump card.’’
I asked you point blank: “Do you hate Boston?’’
“I’ve never said I’ve hated Boston or had a problem with the fans,’’ you answered. “That’s a perception that’s put on me through you guys.’’
Your teammates liked you, and that, too, was a problem. You were not a good role model for the younger players. In the quest to protect them, you poisoned them.
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And it was all just so unnecessary.
In four years here, you went 46-24 with a 3.84 ERA. You won a World Series. You made a lot of money and played a lot of Fortnite.
Fans are happy to see you go. That’s unfortunate. Because the Red Sox are going to miss your talent.
You hated it here, David. And now you are free. You are free to make Boston fans angry every fifth day of the next three baseball seasons by winning games for the Dodgers while the Sox are still paying you. It is the ultimate trump card and it could be your lasting revenge.
How will the trade of Mookie Betts, David Price affect the Red Sox roster?
Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com
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It could have been so much better for David Price in Boston - The Boston Globe
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