The Boston Red Sox underwent a significant change this past September when Dave Dombrowski was fired as president of baseball operations. One month later the organization installed Chaim Bloom as their chief baseball officer.
He has been tasked with getting the Red Sox on target to be below the luxury tax threshold for the 2020 season. It’s fueled speculation Boston was open to trading the likes of Mookie Betts and David Price, among others.
The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly were among the teams to engage with the Red Sox in preliminary discussions for Betts. However, whether or not the 27-year-old is available has been disputed over recent weeks.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, the Red Sox may not be dangling Betts on the market but that isn’t to rule out a potential trade:
The Red Sox are not actively shopping Mookie Betts.
According to major league sources, this is the reality when it comes to how Chaim Bloom and Co. are approaching the situation involving their star outfielder this offseason.
This does not mean the Red Sox aren’t listening to offers regarding Betts — who has one year left on his current contract and figures to cost the team between $27-30 million in arbitration for 2020 — which is why there have been rumblings about proposed deals and interest from around the majors.
Betts was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn a $27.7 million salary in his final year of arbitration. A prior indication that the Red Sox were against trading Betts stemmed from reported confidence in their odds to re-sign him in free agency next winter.
After missing out on the top free agents, the trade market appears to be the Dodgers’ best opportunity to acquire an impact player. Moreover, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu have both left the organization via free agency.
The Dodgers’ reported interest in Betts supports assertions from president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts that the team is seeking to upgrade the roster in the form of elite talent. L.A. has also been linked to trade talks with the Cleveland Indians for Mike Clevinger and Francisco Lindor.
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