After months of scavenging the market for elite talent, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally accomplished their goal by acquiring Mookie Betts and David Price in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.
The complicated transaction was finalized last week, with L.A. sending Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong to Boston. While the deal took longer than anticipated to finalize, and in two separate deals, it has sparked excitement among the city and fanbase looking for its first World Series championship since 1988.
In adding Betts and Price to their already talented roster, the Dodgers gain another former MVP and Cy Young Award winner. Betts was named the 2018 American League MVP while Price earned his Cy Young Award as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012.
L.A. now boasts an unprecedented three former MVPs on their team, with Cody Bellinger winning the award this past season and Clayton Kershaw earning the honor in 2014.
While being introduced by the Dodgers, Betts spoke about his excitement about getting to share the field with Bellinger this season. “We’ve kind of talked through passing at the All-Star Game and when we played here,” Betts said.
“It definitely is going to be pretty special. He won the MVP last year, so he’s definitely going to put on a show and I’ll do my best to keep up with him.
“We played them so I saw it up close and personal and saw it from afar. He won MVP and it wasn’t by accident. So just going out there and playing with him is definitely going to be fun and I’m sure we could just laugh and enjoy this whole ride.”
While Betts has spent his entire career in the AL to this point, he was able to get an extended look at Bellinger during the 2018 World Series.
The two also crossed paths at the 2017 and 2019 All-Star Games. With the exhibition contest being held at Dodger Stadium this year, it would certainly be a cool story if they were voted to represent the National League in front of the hometown fans.
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