By: Brandon Carr
Mookie Betts going to the Los Angeles Dodgers has become official. Here are the official terms of this blockbuster trade….
- Dodgers receive: Mookie Betts, David Price, cash (From the Red Sox), Brusdar Graterol, 2020 Competitive Round B draft pick (from the Twins)
- Red Sox receive: Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, Connor Wong (from the Dodgers)
- Twins receive: Kenta Maeda, and cash (from the Dodgers)
Let’s breakdown this trade for the Dodgers and the Red Sox….
Red Sox:
The Red Sox were forced to trade their star player because they refused to pay him. Mookie Betts was looking for a contract that was a 12 year year deal and was in the ballpark of 400+ million dollars. The Sox didn’t want to pay their star and wanted to trade him while he was on the last year of his contract. What the Red Sox got in return was 3 prospects from the Dodgers’ farm system.
The first player in this trade is outfielder Alex Verdugo. Verdugo is considered one of the better prospects in the Dodgers’ system. Verdugo in his career with the Dodgers has appeared in 158 games in over 3 seasons and has posted a .282 batting average, has hit 14 home runs and 49 RBI’s. Verdugo is the most experienced member out of all three of these prospects and the Red Sox will look for him to make an immediate impact on their roster as a day one player.
The next player in this trade is shortstop Jeter Downs. Downs last year played in the Double-A and in the High A. His numbers were impressive as Downs had a .276 batting average with 24 home runs, 86 RBI’s, and 24 stolen bases. Downs will most likely swap positions with Xander Boegarts manning the Red Sox shortstop position for years to come. Downs will more than likely see playing time in the majors at some point in the season.
The last player in this deal is catcher Connor Wong. Wong last year played in the Double-A and the High A. Wong last year combined for a .281 batting average for 24 home runs and 82 RBI’s. Wong is the prospect out of this deal that most likely won’t play for the Red Sox this season as he needs more time to develop.
The Red Sox are also paying for half of David Price’s contract. Price has 3 years left in his 7 year, $217 million extension that he signed in December of 2015 with the Red Sox. Price is due $96 million dollars over the next 3 years.
Dodgers:
The Dodgers have decided to push all of their chips to the middle of the table. Their time to win the World Series is now. The pieces they have acquired in this trade, make them a threat to win it all this season.
Acquiring Mookie Betts is a huge boost to this already loaded Dodgers roster. Betts is one of the best outfielders in all of baseball. Betts last season with the Red Sox had a .295 batting average with 29 home runs, 80 RBI’s, and 16 stolen bases. Betts was an all star, a silver slugger, and a gold glove winner last year. Betts is still only 27 years old and is only 2 years removed from being named the AL MVP. Betts is on his last year of his contract and is expected to make 27 million dollars this season.
David Price is the next piece from this deal that the Dodgers acquired in this trade. Price last year with the Red Sox pitched in 22 games and finished with a 7-5 record with an ERA of 4.28. Price joins an already good Dodgers rotation that features the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. Price figures to be the third guy in the rotation and will provide solid pitching for this team. The Dodgers also only have to pay him $16 million a season to play for their ball club since the Red Sox will pay for half of the contract.
The last player in this deal for the Dodgers is pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol. Graterol was the player that originally was supposed to go to the Red Sox however the Red Sox were concerned with his injury concerns. Graterol has gone Tommy John surgery in his playing career and last year he was dealing with a shoulder injury. Graterol this past season in the minors pitched in 18 games and finished with a 7-0 record with an ERA of 1.92. Graterol was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Twins’ farm system. Now he joins the Dodgers and looks to develop into a key contributor in their pitching rotation in the future.
Who Won?
The Dodgers look like they have won this trade due to what they gave up to get one of the best players in baseball. Verdugo was one of their best prospects but where this Dodgers team is currently at shows they are ready to win now. The Dodgers have been in 2 of the last 3 World Series matchups and they have come out on the wrong end in those series. Betts provides the Dodgers with more star power and gives them a great outfield and hitting rotation. Price is a good replacement for Kenta Maeda who the Dodgers traded to the Twins. As for the Red Sox, it hurts to give up the face of your organization and your best player, however since the Red Sox didn’t want to pay Betts over $400 million, then it was better that they got something in return for him. All three of these guys are talented baseball players who give the Red Sox potential to be successful in the coming years. With that being said, the Red Sox should’ve given Betts what he wanted considering how special of a player he is. For the Dodgers the pressure is on for them to get over the hump and bring a World Series to Los Angeles. The Red Sox’s expectations this season are lowered, however Red Sox fans expect for this team to compete. The team needs to make moves in the coming years to get them back into contention.
As a Red Sox fan, it hurts to give up a player of Betts’ caliber especially what he did for our team over the years. Betts was one of those guys that I thought would be a franchise player for the Red Sox for many years but at the end of the day, the MLB is a business and you need to make moves in order for what is best for the baseball team.
Brandon's Breakdowns 