Since the Jays aren’t going to make any trade news until I walk into the theater, let’s look back.
On this day 11 years ago:
The Blue Jays traded Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt to the Tigers in exchange for David Price.
At the time of the trade, the Jays were 52-51, tied for second place and six games behind the Yankees.
The Jays went 41-18 the rest of the way, finished first in the AL East, and, well, you know the rest.
Price went 9-1 in 11 starts for the Jays (it’s remarkable he received
10 decisions in 11 starts), posting a 2.30 ERA. However, he struggled in the playoffs.
He was also a great presence in the clubhouse—cheering on the team when he wasn’t pitching, enjoying Rogers Centre popcorn, and clearly savoring the moment. Alex Anthopoulos praised his ‘clubhouse presence,’ calling him the best teammate he had seen.
In the off-season, Price signed with the Red Sox. While it was disappointing to see him go, given his $217 million, seven-year contract, it was likely best the Jays didn’t match it. He had four inconsistent seasons in Boston, clashed with the media (primarily Dennis Eckersley, which I consider a plus), and dealt with injuries. Over those four seasons, he went 46-24 with a 3.84 ERA.
In February 2020, Price was traded to the Dodgers alongside Mookie Betts. He sat out the 2020 season, but in 2021 he pitched in 39 games (starting 11) with a 4.03 ERA. This year, he has made 26 relief appearances with a 3.08 ERA, and he’s mentioned considering retirement after the season.
What about the players the Jays traded away?
- Boyd turned out to be the best player the Tigers received in the trade. After joining Detroit, he pitched eight seasons for them, going 42-65 with a 4.92 ERA in 162 games. He’s also pitched for the Mariners, Guardians and now, the Cubs. He’s 6-1, 3.41 in 12 starts with the Cubs this year.
- Norris pitched parts of 8 seasons with the Tigers. He had an 20-33 record and a 4.52 ERA in 153 games, 79 starts. Since then he’s pitched for the Brewers, Cubs, Tigers and Guardians and retired after the 2023 season
- Labourt appeared in six games for the Tigers in 2017—that comprised his entire MLB career.
In the end, we were pretty happy with the trade:
And history proved us right.
