The Los Angeles Dodgers were having a relatively quiet offseason, but that changed dramatically on Tuesday night when they reportedly completed a three-team trade with the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins to acquire Mookie Betts and David Price.
The Dodgers are expected to send Alex Verdugo to Boston and Kenta Maeda to Minnesota as a part of the trade, which has not yet been finalized. The Red Sox will also be paying a significant portion of Price’s remaining three-year, $96 million contract.
Additionally, as a part of a separate deal, the Dodgers reportedly will trade Joc Pederson to the L.A. Angels for infielder Luis Rengifo, with other prospects and players involved as well.
Obviously, the biggest piece involved is Betts as the Dodgers are acquiring a four-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover, three-time Silver Slugger and 2018 American League MVP. He is coming off another stellar season in which he hit .295/.391/.524 with 40 doubles, 29 home runs, 135 runs scored and 80 RBI in 150 games while also playing elite defense in right field.
As is normally the case with trades nowadays, the news was broken on Twitter, and teammates Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler and Alex Wood were among those to react, seemingly relishing in the Dodgers adding another elite talent to their already potent lineup:
— Cody Bellinger (@Cody_Bellinger) February 5, 2020
— Alex Wood (@Awood45) February 5, 2020
Hahahahaha
— Walker Buehler (@buehlersdayoff) February 5, 2020
The Dodgers are coming off a disappointing season as they were defeated by the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series despite winning a franchise-record 106 games during the regular season.
This is the exact move that they needed to make to get not only the fanbase, but also the team itself, apparently, excited for the 2020 season. With Betts and Price slotting into the Dodgers’ lineup and rotation, respectively, L.A. is not only considered the favorite to win the NL West for an eighth straight year, but they also are one of the favorites to win the World Series.
Another aspect of these trades is that the Dodgers also to appear to still be below the luxury tax threshold, so they should be in a good position to sign Betts to a long-term deal when he presumably reaches free agency after the 2020 season.
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