The 2018 MVP has dominated the Major League Baseball news cycle for the majority of the winter. And today, January 30th is no different.
Per reports from Andy McCullough of The Athletic, trade talks regarding all-star right fielder, Mookie Betts, have been heating up between the Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“In recent days, though, dialogue with Boston has approached a resolution on Betts.”
Selling a trade of this magnitude to Red Sox fans would be difficult for newly appointed Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom, but if he can manage to gather an eye-popping amount of talent–specifically high-level prospects–in return, it would be an easier sell.
However, the Dodgers appear to be hesitant in dealing away some of the names at the top of their prospect list. Names such as second baseman, Gavin Lux, and pitcher Dustin May both seem to be off-limits. But they’re farm system is filled with elite prospect talent, so even with those two names being virtually eliminated, if Bloom plays his cards right, he could still see a strong return if this deal were to go through.
“The Dodgers lack interest in parting with elite prospects like Lux or pitcher Dustin May. But their organization features a plethora of other options — from big-league assets like Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor to up-and-coming performers like outfielder Alex Verdugo and pitcher Tony Gonsolin to farmhands like catching prospect Keibert Ruiz or pitching prospect Josiah Gray…”
It is also detailed in the report that David Price is part of a scenario that is being discussed. Previous reports from ESPN’s Buster Olney indicated that if a team did want to deal for Betts, they’d also need to inherit the veteran left-hander and the remainder of his deal too.
The Dodgers are now the second team in recent days to be in on Betts after it appeared that Bloom had essentially decided that he would be holding onto him, at least to start the season. Now, with reports leaking into the public eye that both the Padres and Dodgers are actively pursuing Betts, a trade scenario seems to be more likely than ever.
MLB Network’s, Jon Heyman, even goes as far to say that a deal at this point seems likely.
Dodgers (and Padres) continue to show interest in Betts, and trade to 1 or other seems pretty likely at this point. LA wouldn’t include Lux or May but has many good prospects to include. Some scenarios have included David Price in deal, others have not. @ByMcCullough all over it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 30, 2020
The Dodgers lineup is already powerful, and the addition of Betts would then make them a top-two favorite to win the World Series. And, as the story alludes to, with two teams within the same division reportedly trying to carve out a deal for one of the game’s best athletes, it puts the Red Sox in a strong position to pin them against one another, aiding them in their quest to garner a significant return.
The Red Sox still have nearly $30 million worth of payroll to shed if they want to reach their goal of dipping below the initial luxury tax threshold of $208 million.
Follow Red Sox beat writer, Nick Quaglia, on Twitter @NickQuag
