Bogaerts happy to see Price on Boston's side
BOSTON -- When shortstop Xander Bogaerts heard the news from his twin brother, Jair, that the Red Sox had reached an agreement with ace David Price on a record-setting contract for a pitcher, it put a big smile on his face.
"That's pretty good," Bogaerts said by phone from Arizona on Tuesday night. "My brother told me about it. I was definitely excited to get that news. He's a great pitcher, I can tell you that for sure. I'm just happy not to face him anymore."
• Price, Red Sox agree to 7-year, $217M deal
Most of all, Bogaerts is enthused about the current state of the Red Sox, who acquired stud closer Craig Kimbrel from the Padres a couple of weeks back and will add Price provided the lefty passes a physical.
"It's very aggressive," Bogaerts said. "It's still kind of early in the offseason. The Winter Meetings haven't come up yet, and we got Price before it even started. It's just a boost going into next year knowing you have that type of guy as part of your rotation."
With Price fronting a rotation that also includes Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello and the promising Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox should rebound from back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East.
Video: Red Sox agree to seven-year deal with Price
The terms of Price's contract (seven years, $217 million, according to an MLB.com source) are record setting for a pitcher both in total amount and average annual value.
"A lot of people thought we were missing an ace and that it affected the other pitchers," Bogaerts said. "Our pitching staff is going to get a boost for sure. He's, for sure, a top-of-the-rotation type of guy. Hopefully, he's going to be the ace. That's why they are giving him that type of money."
• Price check: AL East belongs to Boston
Though Bogaerts did well in his limited sample size against Price, going 4-for-11 with a double, he fully realizes what opposing hitters are up against when they face Price.
"I did pretty all right against him, but it wasn't an easy at-bat. You had to grind because you know he wasn't going to make too many mistakes," said Bogaerts, who had 196 hits in 2015. "I'm happy he's on our side now. There weren't too many easy at-bats or hits I had against him. He's very tough, especially with that cutter. He throws that backdoor cutter and he throws it inside and jams you sometimes."