Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has been methodical in his pursuit of an elite player all offseason, ultimately failing to sign all of the best options available on the free-agent market.
It appears he has finally struck on a blockbuster deal as the Dodgers have acquired Mookie Betts and David Price from the Boston Red Sox as a part of a three-team trade that would send Alex Verdugo to Boston and also involve the Minnesota Twins.
Trades with Friedman are typically complicated, so it is not surprising to see that he got a third team involved. It appears the Dodgers may be in discussions with the Los Angeles Angels on another deal, and it would send Joc Pederson down the 5 freeway to Anaheim, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
Joc Pederson would go from #Dodgers to #Angels if blockbuster is completed, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 5, 2020
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Dodgers will receive Luis Rengifo in return for Pederson:
Infielder Luis Rengifo is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal for outfielder Joc Pederson, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020
It seems that this deal is separate from the Betts trade, which will reportedly send Kenta Maeda to the Twins as the third team.
The Dodgers acquiring Betts gave them a logjam in their outfield, even with Verdugo heading to Boston. Trading Pederson, who is in his final year of club control before hitting free agency, would certainly clear that up, leaving Cody Bellinger, A.J. Pollock and Betts as the team’s three starting outfielders.
If Pederson’s tenure with the Dodgers is coming to an end, it certainly was a memorable one as the 11th round draft pick in 2011 burst onto the scene in 2015 and put together five solid seasons for L.A., winning the National League West each year.
He now joins Mike Trout and Justin Upton to form a formidable outfield for an Angels team that has had a solid offseason, also bolstering their lineup by signing Anthony Rendon.
What the Dodgers are getting in Rengifo is a 22-year-old switch-hitting infielder out of Venezuela that made his Major League debut in 2019. In 108 games for the Angels, he hit .238/.321/.364 with 18 doubles, seven home runs, 44 runs and 33 RBI. He plays both second and third base, which give the Dodgers some versatility that Friedman values so much.
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