Among some executives involved in the David Price bidding, there is an expectation that the Boston Red Sox will generate the highest offer for the left-handed pitcher. The Red Sox are looking for an ace to front their rotation, and Boston president David Dombrowski knows Price, having acquired him before on behalf of the Tigers, and he knows his medical history and the impact he can have on a staff.

What is not really known by a lot of the parties involved is if Price really wants to pitch in Boston, and whether the Red Sox need to crush the field with their bid in order to land him. When CC Sabathia signed his seven-year, $161 million deal with the Yankees, New York's offer was about $60 million more than that of any other team. That's how much the Yankees had to pay in order to separate themselves from the field and shift Sabathia away from his preference of signing with a team in California.