With marquee free agents Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon coming off the board on consecutive days during the Winter Meetings, the search for upper-echelon players has largely shifted to the trade market.
At the center of it are the Cleveland Indians and Francisco Lindor, and Boston Red Sox and Mookie Betts. Kris Bryant the Chicago Cubs are also in the picture, though to a lesser extent as his grievance over service time awaits a ruling from an arbitrator.
The Indians and Red Sox find themselves in similar positions as they both are looking to trim payroll. Another commonality they share is the Los Angeles Dodgers have reported interest in their franchise All-Stars.
But as the Indians asked interested teams for their best trade offers to acquire Lindor, the Red Sox aren’t believed to have any intention of dealing Betts and have confidence they could re-sign him a year from now, said David Vassegh on SportsNet LA:
“The Red Sox are not trading Mookie Betts at this time, from what I’m told. I;ve talked to several sources in Boston and they’ve told me they’re not trading Mookie Betts. They’ve actually offered Betts three different extensions that he has not accepted, which makes it a little precarious for Boston.
“But I find it hard to believe — and many in baseball do as well — that Chaim Bloom, fresh from Tampa Bay, a new way of thinking in Boston baseball, is going to make his first move to trade the face of the franchise. … Like I said, from what I’m told back in Boston, they are not wanting to trade Mookie Betts at this time. They still believe they can re-sign him even if it means he goes to free agency and they are bidding with other teams.”
Every indication to this point has been the Red Sox are intent on getting below the luxury tax threshold for the 2020 season. That’s fueled the Betts speculation and other scenarios that have included David Price being shopped.
If the Dodgers were to acquire Betts or Lindor, it may entail parting with top prospect Gavin Lux. He’s coveted by the Indians, as they are not believed to have interest in Corey Seager, who additionally has been included in talks with the Red Sox.
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