David Price understands the weight of expectations that come with signing a record contract.

The highest-paid player on the Red Sox is entering his third year in Boston - one that will see him earn $30 million - and believes the pressure on him to perform is as high now as it was when he inked his seven-year, $217-million contract.

"No," Price told Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe when it was suggested that expectations for the left-hander might be reduced heading into the season. "I make too much money for that. I appreciate that, but that's never going to be the case."

The Red Sox will certainly need Price to step up if they wish to win a third straight AL East title. With Chris Sale, Price, Drew Pomeranz, Rick Porcello, and Eduardo Rodriguez, the rotation is as good as any team's on paper, and Boston will need the pitching to help keep pace with the New York Yankees' high-powered offense.

The good news is that Price opens this spring with renewed optimism after a turbulent 2017 campaign that saw him limited to 74 2/3 innings due to recurring elbow soreness, along with some other off-field issues he attributes to his sometimes testy relationship with the media. He admits his elbow feels completely healthy now, and his ability to pitch late last season out of the bullpen gives him confidence that he'll return to his All-Star form.

"It feels good," Price said. "It feels normal right now. I think coming back last year at the end, pitching the amount of times that I did - back-to-back days, three out of four days - that's tougher than starting once every five days."