While the Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to pull off a blockbuster trade by acquiring Mookie Betts and David Price, the agreement has hung in the balance over recent days as the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins worked to find a solution to Brusdar Graterol’s medicals causing some level of concern.
There was some belief the Red Sox and Twins would resolve matters between themselves, and if not the Dodgers potentially would acquire a prospect from another team to send the Red Sox. Under the original framework of the trade, Boston was to receive Alex Verdugo and Graterol.
The Twins were adding Kenta Maeda, and in a separate trade the Dodgers reached an agreement to send Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and Andy Pages to the L.A. Angels.
However, as the three-team trade between the Dodgers, Red Sox and Twins lingered on, a sentiment emerged that it would not be completed in its previously agreed upon form. That looks to be more of a reality as the Twins have set a deadline to finalize the trade or they will walk away, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Latest word: While the #MNTwins haven’t backed out quite yet, they are setting a deadline of today to resolve their part of the deal with Boston.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 8, 2020
Minnesota remaining involved in the three-team trade was corroborated by ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez:
Twins have not backed out of initial 3-team trade that would send Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, I'm told. They are willing to renegotiate and attempt to work through it, though whether it ultimately gets figured out is uncertain. All sides want a resolution by reporting date.
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) February 8, 2020
The Dodgers and Red Sox certainly could attempt to keep the trade alive by only dealing with one another, or loop in a new third team, which was previously thought to be a possibility anyhow if a solution was not found with Minnesota.
Beyond the fact of possibly losing out on acquiring Betts and Price, the Dodgers have their subsequent trade with the Angels that remains in limbo. Angels owner Arte Moreno reportedly had grown frustrated by the delay of that too becoming final.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our live shows, and more!