The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of baseball’s deepest teams as we inch ever closer to the start of the 2022 season.
After all, they managed to retain Chris Taylor and sign Freddie Freeman, bolstering an offense that features Will Smith, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Trea and Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger.
But they made a few moves to beef up their pitching staff as well, most notably, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, and Daniel Hudson.
36-year-old David Price is a part of that staff and came over to Los Angeles in the Betts trade.
Though the Dodgers aren’t sure what his role will be in 2022, manager Dave Roberts was impressed with Price’s spring debut yesterday and commented on what his role might be.
Dave Roberts said the organization still has to have a discussion with David Price on how he'll be used this season. Could be a one-inning guy, or could be a multi-inning option. Came away impressed with Price's spring debut.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 31, 2022
A Versatile Weapon
The good thing about Price is that at this point in his career, he’s versatile.
Here’s a guy who can take on multiple roles.
He could be a starter or a reliever, and as a reliever, he could have more flexibility with his role.
Roberts commented that Price could turn out to be a one-inning guy, or possibly somebody who could be used as a long man, pitching multiple innings.
The left-hander went 5-2 in 2021 and posted a 4.03 ERA over 39 games, 11 of which he started.
With Anderson and Heaney signed to fill the rotation holes left by the departure of Max Scherzer and the absence of Trevor Bauer, it appears more likely that Price will find himself in a bullpen role in 2022.
What that role will look like is yet to be determined, but Roberts appeared to be very impressed with his spring training debut, if that’s any indication of what we might see from Price this year.
NEXT: Dodgers Coach Comments On A Struggling Cody Bellinger