The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized their trade for Mookie Betts and David Price this week, sending Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong to the Boston Red Sox. The deal took some time to come together and ultimately required a revision.
Pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol, initially expected to be included by the Minnesota Twins in the package to Boston, instead joined L.A. He was acquired from the Twins in a separate trade centered around Kenta Maeda.
The Dodgers also reacquired Luke Raley and the No. 67 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft while additionally parting with Jair Camargo and cash considerations (reported $10 million).
By netting Graterol, the Dodgers add another top-100 prospect to their deep farm system; He checked in at No. 83 in MLB Pipeline’s rankings for the 2020 season.
With pitchers and catchers reporting to Camelback Ranch on Thursday, Graterol was expected to get a first look at his new teammates. However, his day was cut short due to a fever, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
New pitcher Brusdar Graterol was sent home today with a fever.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 13, 2020
Despite the illness, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts otherwise made it clear that Graterol is healthy as Spring Training gets underway:
Roberts said Graterol is otherwise healthy and his workload will be managed in the Spring.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 13, 2020
Roberts asserting Graterol is in good health is noteworthy in that the Red Sox reportedly had concerns over his medicals. That led to an impasse and ultimate breakdown in the three-team trade.
Graterol, 21, made his MLB debut with the Twins last season and immediately turned heads with his triple-digit fastball. He appeared in 10 games out of the bullpen and collected 10 strikeouts over 9.2 innings pitched.
Graterol was included on the Twins’ American League Division Series roster and took the mound in Game 1 against the New York Yankees, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Graterol additionally posted a 7-0 record with a 1.92 ERA across three Minor League levels last season.
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