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Dodgers: David Price Talks About His Decision to Sit Out the 2020 Season

The 2020 season was supposed to be David Price’s debut with the Dodgers. After close to 10 years of the franchise being interested in landing the southpaw, Price was finally in uniform and ready to go. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down not just baseball, but the entire world. 

Price chose to sit out the 2020 season to protect the health and wellness of his family. He was with the Dodgers in their Summer Camp for the first day or so but ultimately decided that the risk outweighed any potential reward. 



Now almost one year after Price was traded to the Dodgers by the Red Sox, Price is opening up about his decision. The veteran left-handed pitcher spoke with SportsNet LA about choosing to sit out the 2020 season, among other things related to the 2021 season. 

Everything was steadily rising and it was a time I didn’t want to be away from my family. At the time I had a 7-month-old little girl and a 3-month-old boy and I felt like I needed to be at home with my wife and 2 kids at that time. That was a very tough decision to make, but knowing that I made that decision for my family, I was at peace with it. 

Price sitting out obviously didn’t hurt the Dodgers nearly as much as many had anticipated. Los Angeles had several young guys step up in their starting rotation, and ended up with one of the best staffs in all of baseball. 

Related: Dodgers Target Nolan Arenado Traded to the Cardinals

The good news is that Price is here to play in 2021, with no plans to sit out the season. The Dodgers should benefit greatly from his presence in the middle of the rotation, and should also help the bullpen stability over the long season. 

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6 Comments

  1. There must be a typo. In this article it says his kids are 7 months and 3 months! But a quick online search shows he and his wife have 2 kids, one born in 2017 and the other in 2019.A 3 yr old and a 1 yr old when covid hit.
    He had every right to sit out, but someone goofed!

    1. Daniel,

      Thanks for clearing that up…I was trying to do the math and it wasn’t working for me!

  2. It doesn’t matter why he took last year off. It is over and in the record books. The only concern is whether he has enough left to help win another championship this year. My expectations are low, so if he has a good year it would be a bonus.

  3. I beleive Price forfeited his entire salary last year. I don’t know if it was excluded from the CBT calculation. But if it was, and continues to be 2021, I honestly think that the best option from the Dodger’s perspective is for Price to sit out 2021. If we don’t have to pay him, and the forfeited salary does not count against the luxury tax, we can pick up some players we actually need. Let’s face it, the entire reason the Sox packaged Price with Betts was to dump his salary. The entire reason the Dodgers agreed to take Price was to get Betts. The Dodgers rotation is fine without Price. And the young guys got valuable experience in 2020. They will be be in 2020 with the rotation they had last year.

  4. Either Price misspoke or there was an editorial glitch regarding his children.
    Further checking suggests that son was three years old, not three months old, when Price decided to sit out the 2020 season. (It was a little odd reading that he and his wife had two kids, born just four months apart.)
    Recent seasons suggest that Price should be solid. Not the ace he once was, but a track record of winning. From 2015-19, he had a record of 64-29. Career stats read like a lesser Kershaw.

  5. Not sure what he has left in the tank, but probably better if Price was traded. Maybe Kris Bryant for Price and a prospect. Cubs get a needed SP and we get a 3B for a year before reevaluating the roster.

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