Fansided

5 reasons the Yankees will finish ahead of the Red Sox

By Rucker Haringey

BOSTON - APRIL 11: Boston Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly and first baseman Mitch Moreland fight with the Yankees' Tyler Austin after he charged the mound in the seventh inning. The Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on April 11, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - APRIL 11: Boston Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly and first baseman Mitch Moreland fight with the Yankees' Tyler Austin after he charged the mound in the seventh inning. The Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on April 11, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – APRIL 28: Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price takes a deep breath as he takes the mound in the 3rd inning after giving up a two-run home run at Fenway Park in Boston on April 28, 2018. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 28: Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price takes a deep breath as he takes the mound in the 3rd inning after giving up a two-run home run at Fenway Park in Boston on April 28, 2018. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

4. David Price is broken

There was a time when David Price was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. That time is over. The ugly truth is that Price has been a below-average starter for the Red Sox to start the season.

His ERA of 5.11 in his seven starts clearly illustrates that something is wrong. It’s even more of an issue when you consider the fact that Price is the highest paid player on Boston’s roster. The former Vanderbilt hurler is scheduled to make a tidy $30 million this season.

Manager Alex Cora believes Price’s issues boil down to a lack of velocity separation between his fastball and off speed pitches. That seems like a fancy way of saying that Price can’t throw as hard as he used to. The Red Sox coaching staff might be able to coax some marginal improvement out of Price, but he’s not going to return to the dominant form he’s flashed in years past.

If Price can’t turn things around quickly he’s going to continue to weigh down Boston’s starting rotation. The Red Sox still have a solid group overall, but switching Price from star to below-average is going to weigh the team down as the season progresses.

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