David Price‘s agent admits he’s surprised that the Toronto Blue Jays did not offer the free agent left-hander a contract and says his client was open to a return to the club.
“The Blue Jays were the biggest surprise. David would have absolutely gone back there,” Bo McKinnis told Jim Bowden on SiriusXM Radio Sunday evening. “That was the toughest part of this and I’m surprised we did not get an offer.
“He had a wonderful time there and the bulk of the club is back there and he would’ve enjoyed being with them.”
Price signed a $217-million, seven-year contract with the Boston Red Sox this week. Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said on Friday the club did not “aggressively” pursue Price, instead opting to spread resources across its starting rotation.
“For me with David Price, it’s never a question do you want David Price,” Shapiro told reporters. “That’s silly. Of course, yes, we want David Price. It’s a question of how do you build a championship team within the parameters you’re given. It’s as simple as that. We have all the resources necessary to build a championship team, but they’re not unlimited, it’s a business like any other business.
“We had multiple holes to fill, and putting all those resources in one player really would have created a team with one complete hole in the rotation with nowhere to fill it. It really wasn’t much of a choice.”
So far this off-season, the Blue Jays have addressed their starting staff by re-signing Marco Estrada ($26-million, two-years), acquiring Jesse Chavez and signing J.A. Happ for $36 million over three years.
Price was 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts for the Blue Jays after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the July trade deadline.
