With the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins seemingly unable to resolve their impasse, the blockbuster Mookie Betts trade now hangs in the balance and the Los Angeles Dodgers face serious ramifications.
The original framework of the three-team trade had the Dodgers acquiring Betts, David Price and cash considerations. Alex Verdugo was headed to the Red Sox, who also were to receive Twins pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol. Minnesota was poised to acquire Kenta Maeda.
However, Graterol’s medicals and subsequent perceived upside — or public reaction to the trade — has caused the Red Sox to seek additional compensation. Minnesota reportedly imposed a Saturday deadline to complete the trade, or they were walking away.
If the Dodgers and Red Sox are to carry forward with a direct trade, L.A. may need to offset the removal of Graterol by including one or two additional players, or take on more responsibility for Price’s remaining salary, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
Los Angeles would need to add at least one player to substitute for Graterol, though it’s possible the Dodgers could try taking on a larger portion of Price’s salary in lieu of adding another highly-rated prospect.
While that may hold true, the teams appear to be making progress in keeping trades alive. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, it would be reworked so the Dodgers acquire Graterol from the Twins, then complete a second trade with the Red Sox:
In current talks, #MNTwins are working hard to satisfy #Dodgers and the Dodgers are working hard to satisfy #RedSox, sources say. Two separate deals are possible (for example, Graterol-plus for Maeda and Verdugo and others for Betts/Price). But all three teams involved in talks.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 9, 2020
Under the original agreement the Red Sox reportedly were going to pay for roughly half of the $96 million owed to Price over three years. The Dodgers certainly have a deep collection of prospects, but who they would be willing to include any for a possible one-year rental in Betts and aging pitcher in Price is unclear.
If there is more trouble, another route for the Dodgers and Red Sox could be finding a new third team. One option may be the L.A. Angels, as the Dodgers already had a secondary trade already in place.
In that deal the Angels were receiving Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and Andy Pages in exchange for Luis Rengifo and one or two prospects.
Every indication has pointed to the Red Sox prioritizing completing a trade with the Dodgers, however they also are believed to be open to engaging in talks with other teams if it appears a deal cannot be salvaged.
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