The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have pulled off a blockbuster trade that will change the way both teams look this summer. This is a big one!
Mookie Betts trade
It has been rumored since the 2019 season concluded, and now it has happened. Mookie Betts has been traded.
According to MLB Trade Rumors the Dodgers and Red Sox have agreed on a deal that will send slugger Mookie Betts and starting pitcher David Price to Los Angeles pending review of medical records for all of the players involved.
This probably isn’t sitting well with fans in Boston, but with Betts poised to test the free-agent market next season, the Red Sox wanted to cut payroll – and get something in return in case Betts did choose to leave.
The Dodgers have been one of the best teams in all of baseball over the past five seasons, yet they have failed to win a World Series title. Adding Betts to an already good lineup is going to make this team a force once again in 2020.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal is indicating that outfielder Alex Verdugo will be the centerpiece going back to Boston in this deal. Verdugo, who is just 23, is a highly-touted prospect.
BREAKING: Mookie Betts & David Price have been traded to the @Dodgers.
(via @Ken_Rosenthal & @JeffPassan) pic.twitter.com/dtrV8Q5Qc4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 5, 2020
Now that isn’t the whole story. A third team, the Minnesota Twins are also part of this blockbuster deal.
The Twins will acquire right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda from Los Angeles and send top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox in return.
#Dodgers sending RHP Kenta Maeda to #MNTwins for RHP Brusdar Graterol, who will be part of package going to #RedSox, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 5, 2020
This deal should help out the Twins staff as Maeda can chew up innings and was evidently the key to making this whole deal happen.
Dodgers gamble on Betts
While all of this information is still being processed, the Dodgers have definitely made major improvements to their team on Tuesday night.
With Mookie Betts, the Dodgers are getting one of the best players in the game today. In his six seasons in the majors, Betts has a career .301 batting average. He has hit 139 home runs and driven in 470 RBI.
At just 27 years old, Betts still has plenty left in the tank. If he stays healthy, he may hit north of 300 home runs and 1,000 RBI before he calls it a career.
While the Dodgers are hoping Betts continues to put up monster numbers, they really are banking on a World Series title.
Betts signed a one-year $27,000,000 contract with the Red Sox following an arbitration ruling earlier this year.
That means the Dodgers are taking a big chance this season. Technically, Betts will be able to test the market this fall if he and the Dodgers don’t come to an extension agreement beforehand.
Right now fans in Los Angeles aren’t concerned about 2021, they just want Mookie Betts to help this team finally capture a World Series title in 2020.