While Spring Training is just around the corner, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2020 roster may not be completely in place yet as they have reportedly been in the discussions with the Boston Red Sox to acquire All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts.
The possibility that the Red Sox would trade their best players has been present all offseason, but talks seem to have picked up in recent days. It is no surprise that the Dodgers and San Diego Padres are the two teams involved in discussions with Boston as the National League West rivals both have desires of competing in 2020 and farm systems that match up well for a potential deal.
With talks reportedly nearing a resolution, more specifics on the trade packages are beginning to come out. According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox may be looking for someone that can replace Betts right away:
Conversations with both the Padres and Dodgers have included a major league-ready outfielder.
Options on the Padres who fit that description include Manuel Margot and Josh Naylor. However, San Diego is reportedly also looking to offload Wil Myers and most of his hefty contract back to Boston.
The Dodgers have a glut of young Major League talent and it appears that Alex Verdugo, as well as other prospects, is a package that could entice the Red Sox:
The Dodgers, on the other hand, offer a more straightforward proposition. They’d trade a big league-ready outfielder — and multiple sources have mentioned Alex Verdugo (who hit .294/.342/.475 as a 23-year-old rookie in 2019) along with multiple prospects outside of the ready-to-contribute jewels of their system, Gavin Lux and Dustin May.
Betts is in his final year of club control, which is part of the reason why the Red Sox are looking to trade him now. The main reason being that they want to get below the luxury tax threshold though, so they may also try to include David Price along with Betts.
If the Dodgers were to take back Price and his three-year, $96 million contract – which Boston would likely pay a portion of – then the package going back to the Red Sox theoretically would not be quite as substantive.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has stated his confidence in his roster, but coming off another disappointing season in 2019, this could be the move that puts them over the top and brings a championship to a starving fanbase in 2020.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events and more!