The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the offseason with a clear desire to add elite talent to the roster. They ultimately fell short of signing one of the top free agents during the Winter Meetings, but finally accomplished their goal by orchestrating one of the biggest trades in recent memory.
After weeks of speculation, the Dodgers struck an agreement with the Boston Red Sox to acquire Mookie Betts and David Price. L.A. will send Alex Verdugo and pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol the other way — the latter of which came over from the Minnesota Twins for Kenta Maeda.
The blockbuster has yet to be announced due to a medical issue with Graterol, but the expectation is that the trade will eventually be finalized.
In a separate deal to clear some of their positional logjams, the Dodgers will reportedly send Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling to the L.A. Angels for Luis Rengifo and prospects. Like the pending three-team trade, this potential transaction is not official yet.
Walker Buehler recently shared his thoughts on the state of the Dodgers roster, admitting he is sad to see some of his longtime teammates head elsewhere, but is looking forward to the arrivals of Betts and Price, via MLB Network Radio:
“Theres ups and downs to all of it. Losing Joc and potentially Stripling, which I guess is coming out now, kind of dampens it. But we’re obviously really, really excited to add two players of their caliber. This is a pretty big deal for us.”
Maeda, Pederson, Stripling and Verdugo have all contributed to the Dodgers’ success over the years, and while it is disappointing for some to see them go, there is no question what Betts and Price will bring to the table.
The former is one of the brightest stars in the sport, having already earned 2018 American League MVP honors, four Gold Glove Awards, four All-Star Game appearances and three Silver Slugger Awards.
Price, on the other hand, is a five-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner with World Series experience — the type of player that could help a club end a championship drought of their own.
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