One of the biggest storylines for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Spring Training was the arrivals of Mookie Betts and David Price — both of whom were acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox at the start of February.
For Betts, it meant that for the first time in his six-year career, he would be part of a different organization. Price, on the other hand, has been traded in the past and is more familiar with the adjustment period that comes from joining a new team.
That said, the left-hander still figured to experience some firsts with the Dodgers. For one, he has never pitched for a National League club up until this point.
Price has also spent the bulk of his career with organizations based on the East Coast. His move to the Dodgers meant that he would have to report to Arizona for Spring Training rather than Florida.
During a recent appearance on Ross Stripling’s “Big Swing Podcast,” Price discussed the differences of the two states, noting that Spring Training workouts in Arizona are much more close-knit than Florida:
“The Dodgers do it different, absolutely. But this was my first Spring Training in Arizona, so that in itself was different. The team was going to take B.P. at their home ballpark every single day before they go and play a game as opposed to Florida. The closest team to us was the Twins, they were on the same exit and about 10 minutes (away). But the next closest was 45 minutes and it keeps going further and further.
“You don’t see the team as much in Florida if you’re a pitcher, because you stay back all those days. You’re on the golf course by 9:30 because practice is over at 9. Arizona was a little bit different in that sense, but I think I enjoyed how close everybody is in Arizona. Getting to see different guys on different teams, I enjoyed that a lot.”
Though he is still relatively new to the Dodgers, Price enjoyed interacting with his teammates during the spring and hopes to get the ball rolling again. He figures to slot in third in the starting rotation, behind Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler.
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