Mookie Betts, David Price Traded to Los Angeles Dodgers
Mookie Betts and David Price are headed west, as the Boston Red Sox have reached an agreement to trade both players to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox that would send star outfielder Mookie Betts and starter David Price to the Dodgers, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Deal is pending medical reviews.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020
The deal is pending medical reviews but appears to be done.
There could be a third team involved in the deal, as @Ken_Rosenthal reported. Significant cash will be going the way of wherever David Price lands. But the main player, Mookie Betts, will be a Dodger should medicals go as expected.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020
Third, unidentified team is indeed part of #RedSox-#Dodgers blockbuster, sources tell me and @chadjennings22.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 5, 2020
That third team is apparently the Minnesota Twins:
The Minnesota Twins are the third team in the blockbuster deal with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers if it passes medical reviews as expected, sources tell @kileymcd and me.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020
And the Twins will receive Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers, while passing Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox:
#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
Betts is arguably the second-best player in baseball behind Mike Trout, so this is a huge boost to the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have achieved their goal of getting out from under some hefty contracts. Price is due to make $96 million over the next three years, and Betts is due $27 million this season.
The package going to Boston will be centered around young outfielder Alex Verdugo. The 23-year-old Verdugo is a former top prospect who hit .294 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI and an OPS of .817 in 2019.
Starter Kenta Maeda would go to the Minnesota Twins part of the Mookie Betts-David Price deal, sources tell ESPN. Outfielder Alex Verdugo and hard-throwing pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol, who has been with Minnesota, would go to the Red Sox, as @Ken_Rosenthal said.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020
But the big news here is Betts. The 27-year-old was the 2018 American League MVP and is coming off another excellent season in 2019. He hit .295 with 29 home runs, 80 RBI and an OPS of .915. He'll hit free agency after the 2020 season, but if the Dodgers are trying to put together a World Series run this year, he's going to help a ton.
Price is coming off a down year, and at 34 has clearly seen better days. In 22 starts during the 2019 season, he was 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 107.1 innings. He dealt with elbow tendinitis and a cyst on his lefty wrist in 2019 and that's after dealing with elbow issues throughout the 2017 season.
While there is a third team involved in the deal, Price and Betts will wind up with the Dodgers:
Third team involved in Betts/Price trade, but both Betts and Price will go to LA, a source says.
— Chad Jennings (@chadjennings22) February 5, 2020
And the Dodgers are only expected to pay about half of his salary:
Dodgers are expected to pay about half of Price’s salary. He has 96M to go over 3.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 5, 2020
As an addendum to this trade, Joc Pederson would go to the Los Angeles Angels if the deal gets completed:
Joc Pederson would go from #Dodgers to #Angels if blockbuster is completed, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 5, 2020
So yeah, a lot of moving pieces here.