A clear head

Price tries to rebound from injury-filled year with Red Sox

David Price says he’d rather stay in Boston to chase a title than opt out of his contract at the end of the season.

The former Cy Young Award winner spoke to media at the team’s spring training facilities on Tuesday at Fenway South, the team’s spring training home. He said he had no intentions of using the opt-out clause in his contract at the end of the season, putting an end to speculation – at least for the time being – he would become a free agent after a tumultuous start to his run with the Red Sox.

“I haven’t had that conversation with my wife or my agent, my family or anybody else,” Price said. “I expect to win here and that’s what I came here for.”

Price said he just needed to clear his head this winter, which included spending his first offseason as a father to his newborn son, Xavier.

“That’s what you use the offseason for,” Price said. “To recharge. Recharge the batteries in your head and in your life and that is what I was able to do. I had a very good off-season and now I feel good both mentally and physically.”

The 2017 season was regrettable in many ways for Price. He was hampered with elbow injuries throughout much of the season, limited to just 11 starts. He went 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA and was relegated to bullpen duty in the post-season. In 2016, the first year of his seven-year, $217 million deal with Boston, Price had a 3.99 ERA, the highest since his rookie season of 2009. Combined with a lacklustre post-season performance, Price became a target for the ire of fans.

“Everything that I’ve been through the past two years has been a struggle, absolutely,” Price said. “I feel like I’ve gotten better from it, I’ve learned from it and look forward to continuing to learn.”