In case you missed it — which, c’mon, you call yourself a MLBTR reader?! — the Red Sox have agreed to send superstar outfielder Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in a deal that also involves the Twins in a significant fashion.
Betts may be a rental player, but he’s an awfully good one, making this is a true blockbuster. Accordingly, it’s imperative that we get the consensus grades from the MLBTR readership — yes, long before we know what will become of the young players included in this deal. (It’s pretty easy to grade trades after the fact, right?)
Let’s set forth each club’s side of the deal, with a corresponding poll:
Los Angeles Dodgers
Give: RHP Kenta Maeda ($12MM through 2023 with significant performance incentives); OF Alex Verdugo (1.078 years MLB service; controllable at least through 2024)
Get: OF Mookie Betts ($27MM in 2020); SP David Price (approximately $48MM through 2022)
Grade:
[Poll link for app users]
Boston Red Sox
Give: OF Mookie Betts ($27MM in 2020); SP David Price (approximately $48MM through 2022)
Get: OF Alex Verdugo (1.078 years MLB service; controllable at least through 2024); SP/RP Brusdar Graterol (0.029 years MLB service; controllable at least through 2025)
Grade:
[Poll link for app users]
Minnesota Twins
Give: SP/RP Brusdar Graterol (0.029 years MLB service; controllable at least through 2025)
Get: RHP Kenta Maeda ($12MM through 2023 with significant performance incentives)
Grade:
[Poll link for app users]
deal1122
Dodgers A
Red Sox C or D
Yankees98
It’s an F for the Red Sox because their ownership group that is valued at over $6.6 billion dollars traded away a generational talent because they didn’t want to pay him.
On the positive side, myself as a Yankees fan can come out of the closet as a big fan of Mookie Betts.
GOMS
They gave him up because he wanted to test free agency – meaning they’ll have an opportunity to get him back after this season. Plus now they got Verdugo and Graterol out of it.
802Ghost
They TRIED to pay him. They will pay him in 2021. But you either know he’s going to FA (won’t sign extension) and you get value for him now, or you get nothing when he walks, but a QO rejection pick.
If they sign him in 2021, their OF is pretty set & solid for the future.
LF = Verdugo
CF = JBJ or Bennie
RF = Betts
I give the Red Sox an A for value based on what THEY wanted to do (below tax line, move Price, get value for Betts) which they did.
I think it’s hilarious that baseball fans (Red Sox fans especially) are calling the Ownership cheap.
They’re anything but. But it makes smart BUSINESS sense to get below the tax line, reset and load up in 2021 when they have more payroll flexibility. Especially if Pedroia does what he should and retires.
spinach
They’re not signing him in 2021.
Soxfan912
Wow a reasonable response. I think we’re alone on this hill today though. At the end of the day it seemed like Mookie wanted to go to FA. That is his right, so he should do that. However, the Red Sox are coming off the highest payroll in the league on a team that missed the playoffs. Therefore, why would they go into this season expecting to do the same? If they were truly competitive last year then Mookie would still be on this team.
The trade gives them a better chance to sign him next year and gives them two high value prospects (It would have been nice if Graterol went to LAD and May came to BOS).
Calling Sox management cheap is lazy and inaccurate. They just won the WS in 2018 and then proceeded to extend Xander and Sale for big money plus re-sign others. Outside of Xander, maybe those weren’t the best moves, but that does not make them cheap.
At the end of the day Sox fans are pissed because they lost Mookie, which is understandable. However I graded this a B because it needed to be done in order to get back in a few years. This is why they have won 4 WS in a 15 year span while other teams fall apart for decades at a time.
This trade is great for LAD if they win or if he re-signs, similar to the Cubs losing Gleyber. If neither happens and Verdugo pans out then this will be a miss. If Graterol becomes a top of the rotation starter or elite reliever then this is a loss for the Twins because Maeda doesnt move the needle.
JoeBrady
If they are not signing him in 2021, then the whole idea of him being a generational talent is moot.
koolga
Exactly… Think Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper…. Could have traded him and received something back, but he walked and went elsewhere..
If he wants to come back in 2021, he will.
Charles Schwab
How you gonna keep ’em down on the farm once they’ve seen Karl Hungus?
dcrising
Spot on. It’s not the Red Sox ownership being cheap; they made attempts at extending him, but Mookie already said he wants to test free agency no matter what. If he’s going to the open market, the Red Sox can sign him then to whatever dollar amount the market decides. So they were able to 1) dump Price’s salary, which is HUGE especially since they were over the Luxury Tax and paying him way more than what he’s currently worth, 2) they added an immediate high-quality replacement of Mookie in Verdugo, and 3) they added a top 100 prospect in Graterol who immediately slots in as the Sox #1 pitching prospect. And to add a cherry on top, the Sox can use the saved money from Price toward bringing Mookie back in 2021.
I gave Dodgers and Red Sox a “B” and Twins an “A”. Dodgers – because they away traded 2 well-controlled and cheap MLB starters and took on a pile of cash in a “win-now” move that could have negative implications in the future. Red Sox – only because they made a move away from fully competing this year. And Twins – they traded a top pitching prospect for Maeda who will likely slot in as their #2. I’m a Nats fan, and outside of Buehler, Maeda was the most dominant pitcher at least in the NLDS and he’s controlled for fairly cheap through 2023.
xosder
Soxfan912, couldn’t agree more and couldn’t have said it better myself. Spot on. As much as it sucks to lose Mookie it had to be done.
Col_chestbridge
Yes, those poor Washington Nationals, who lost Harper for a mere draft pick. They surely were a terrible team that year after…
Cooperdooper7
I’m with you VT…. What really gets me is the fact that everyone thinks the Red Sox are “punting” on this season. Yeah, Betts is an awesome talent, but for all you WAR geeks… I’ll talk your language for this argument… Say Verdugo comes out and plays well enough to have a 4.1/2 WAR this season… and Betts repeats 2019 season and has 6.5 to 7.0 season… That’s 2 wins+. If Bennintendi rebounds with a better year which I strongly agree he can and Sale is the Sale we are used to, and Eovaldi actually stays off the DL… they can surely recover to be a 90+ win team… yeah lots of if’s, but there is still a huge amount of talent on this roster…. To me— the question that still has been resolved is in the Back end/ Bull Pen. I am not ready to say like all the so called “experts” that the Yankees already have won before the season starts… that why they play the games.
Bostonsportsforlife
as a red Sox fan, I think they moved makes sense. frees up money, resets taxes and draft picks, and you still have the opportunity to re-sign him, while adding controllable assets
Lars MacDonald
If Pedroia retires, it has no bearing on the Redsox payroll.
He has a guaranteed contract for two more years.
RunDMC
Doesn’t LAD have the opportunity to get a compensatory pick back when he inevitably turns down a QO because he was acquired before (and not during) the season? That’s something to consider – draft pick comp to add a little bit more to their loaded farm at the lower levels if they upgraded (at least for 1 season) going from Verdugo to Betts.
anthony c
I say doing this make all the sense in the world reset this year get assets and potentially sign betts back as a free agent you get verdugo and the pitcher then sign betts in 2021. Yanks did it with Chapman traded him for Gleyber then resigned Chapman in freeagency
BlueSkies_LA
Yup the comp pick is a definite thing of value. How much is debatable but probably a few million at least.
Roll
I thought once they chose to retire they forfeit the rest of their contract unless the team feels nice and gives them the rest of it or an injury settlement. It is one of the reasons A-Rod was an “assistant” his last year of his contract instead of just officially retiring and Prince Fielder got an injury settlement instead of retiring when he knew he couldnt play.
Might effect luxury tax because of average but the team i dont think would be paying it out.
Finlander
Boston did fine. They have a shot of resigning Betts, they extracted themselves out of taxation chaos, and they added young blue chip players to an organization with a weak farm. Graterol may be the key piece for them as a high leverage bullpen piece. He has the 100+ mph heater, a nice breaking pitch, and he throws strikes. Future RSox closer? Or, if he masters a third pitch he can become a Glasnow/Cole type starter. Twins will miss him.
cysoxsale
Gretarol couldnt get on a joke rotation in Minnesota. Obviously hes not a starter. Maeda meanwhile is a stud
ayrbhoy
There are very, very few prospects who become a “Gerrit Cole” type starter. I get your point, he should improve if he adds a plus 3rd pitch but assuming the kid to evolves into a Tyler Glasnow or a G Cole pitcher by simply adding a new pitch is a bit presumptuous no?
Raphysanxez
Did you Saw the Future !! As$&@%#^
Rallyshirt
You mean coitus?
Deleted Userrr
@koolga what no love for Tyler Dyson?
taran7
The Dodgers system is still loaded and they can absorb the loss of Verdugo if Mookie walks. It remains to be seen how good Verdugo is over the long haul. And if Mookie was loyal to Boston he wouldn’t be talking about how antsy he is to test the market, so I don’t know why anybody thinks he’s gonna pop right back to Boston. He might just find LA very much to his liking.
dombrowski
Contracts are not guaranteed for retirees. If he retires, he forfeits his contract and it comes off the Sox books. Gil Meche did it back in the day.
RockLowDown
Lol good luck on that. He’s not going anywhere . He’s staying with the Dodgers and he’s going to love the city of L.A. The dodgers have the money too . He’s definitely staying. Just guessing
lfcredsox
I was talking about my rug
Nolenabs83
The problem with your argument is leaving out that Boston paid down 50 MILLION on Price’s salary! So Dodgers get him for 3yrs 47mil, which would be totally reasonable on the open market and didnt have to give up a top prospect for Betts…A+++ fir the Dodgers in my opinion
RockLowDown
As a Giants fan, the Dodgers clearly won the deal . The Red Sox fans seem mad for losing mookie . Blame your GM and ownership. Now it’s going to harder for us win the nL west . The Red Sox should of traded the other players . Not mookie! Smh
VonPurpleHayes
You can’t give this an F. This gives them prospects and gets them under the tax penalty.
looiebelongsinthehall
Yankee fans need to be objective. Let’s see what develops when Judge comes up for negotiations. Only his inability to stay on the field prevents him from being in the same discussion as Mookie. If he stays healthy and says the same things Mookie has over and over stated, will the team offer him a blank check? Only issue is did the team score up in 2016 and not try hard enough to sign him long term then? The team chose not to so they could put as strong a team on the field which resulted in three straight divisions and the 18 WS. Yankees need to win another WS again before their fans can crow. Right now the only thing they should be doing with crow is eating it.
costergaard2
Yankees fans should eat crow when the Sox 18 WS is tainted for cheating and you STILL don’t have a manager when P&C reporting is but a week away ? Have fun when MLB takes your draft picks and bonus pool money
Cooperdooper7
Red Sox scored how many runs at Yankee Stadium vs them in the 2018 ALDS? Why would Evan Drellick dodge the question on his sources for the story wriiten about the so called Red Sox allegations… because an anonymous quote or Theory from someone not willing to put their name to it means, that maybe it is lacking truth. Keep Spewing your nonsense, cause we all know that you have got the whole story and the facts.
Yankeefan24
Ha Red Sox make a terrible trade so Boston fans clamor to MLBTR comments section to justify it to Yankee fans. Garbage trade, proof ownership knows 2018 was a cheating-induced fluke. And to all the clowns saying Mookie wasn’t going to resign – show a website quoting him on that. You’re not his dad, you’re not his bouncer, you’re not best friend – you’re a clown on MLBTR defending the trade to anyone who will listen, and you don’t know anything about what Betts would and wouldn’t do.
TheWay11
You’re an angry elf.
thetruth 2
Stop making Yankees fans look bad. Every one of your sentences is dumber than the next.
looiebelongsinthehall
So far nothing has come out about 2018. Let’s see what develops but if the Sox were getting tipped in Yankee Stadium in the playoffs (16 runs in one game), they only have to look in the mirror as it must have been their own staff doing the tipping.
looiebelongsinthehall
Exactly. No one knows his true intentions but he made it clear he was testing the market. He was quoted that way over and over again,. Go back under your 2009 Rock when 11 years ago the team inked free agents totaling $500m. Haven’t won since. They better win this year and let’s see what the Yankees do entering 2021. It’s been said teams should reset every three years to ensure draft pick, international signing money and compensatory picks max as best as possible. Sox did this in 17 so this year is right on schedule. The Yankees did it in 18 but were over in 19 and now 20.
FrostyPucker
YankeeFan24, I think it’s hilarious how Yankees fans are already chocking up the 2020 World Series championship and you haven’t even stepped foot on the field or n spring training!
I’ll tell you this. If the Yankees and Dodgers are not in the World Series this year, they’ll have much more to answer for than Boston!
luckyh
Did you feel the same when the billionaire Yanks kept under the cap for the same reason? They traded him because he is going to test free agency. They could get him then, as he will be there for the highest bidder, should they choose to partake. Hilariously ironic the Yankee fans commenting after Hal’s fiscal restraint to do the same thing.
looiebelongsinthehall
Agreed Lucky. Boston last reset in 17, the Yankees and Dodgers in 18 (which is why in part neither was interested in a JDM). I think depending on how the next CBA negotiations shape up, the day of paying heavily for a strict DH is over. Boston was mainly alone with Papi and now JDM but that’s a significant budget difference that NL clubs don’t have. Unless the DH goes MLB wide, there should be a difference in threshold amounts for each league.
Goose
Do you know the luxury tax rules and the penalties? Do you know Mookie was going to free agency no matter what and he turned down a 10 year $310 million dollar contract?
The Sox made the best of a bad situation. They got $16 million under the luxury tax which means they won’t lose international money and draft picks this year. They got a major league ready OF that is good. They also got a very good pitching prospect and pitching is the one thing their farm system is lacking.
Nick
I understand WHY they did it…. but jeez. ZIPS projections basically had them as a 93-94 win team entering the season. This trade drops them down to somewhere in the mid-80’s. I know that they maximized their return for Betts and set themselves up financially for 2021 and beyond, but I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of turning yourself into a team that will likely fight for the 2nd wild card spot a week before spring training starts. The Yankees had a million injuries next year. I would have stuck with the team I had and made a Betts move at the deadline if things weren’t working out.
BartoloHRball
Nick, going from 93-94 down to mid-80s doesn’t matter to BOS because the Yankees will win 100-105 this coming season. BOS would be extremely fortunate to fight for WC #2, as the AL East is going to beat each other up.
AL East: NY Yankees
AL Central: Minnesota
AL West: Houston
WC1 & WC2: A’s, Tampa.
First out: Cleveland, and then maybe Boston?
BOS was very smart in moving Price w. Betts to get lux tax relief AND get 3 pieces that all can contribute this year. Verdugo has a sweet bat and should be able to put up 3-4+ WAR or better going forward.
Nick
With Betts and Price, they would have likely been a favorite for the 1st WC. Without them they’re probably on the outside looking in for the 2nd spot. And its nice to say the Yanks would have just waltzed to 100+ wins, but as we saw in 2019, injuries happen. One major injury to Judge or Cole or Gleyber, and the division could be within reach.
I’m just not a fan of punting on a season before it begins.
thetruth 2
Cleveland will dominate the AL Central, Minnesota way overachieved and will fall hard this year. I could also see Oakland missing the playoffs due to a very inexperienced rotation.
luckyh
We’ll see about the Yanks. Everyone is assuming the guys that played out of their minds will continue to do so. They are not a lock to win it all.
kahnkobra
exactly
looiebelongsinthehall
Nick. You believe ZIPS or any other projection? Sox will win or die on their pitching this year which has too many question marks to just assume for the best. The trade does not in my view make them a worse team because they have money to again spend and I see Holt and another pitcher being added.
Brace4It
This is the dumbest comment I have read so far. The Twins have a great team. Cleveland just has a team.
pasha2k
Yankees I applaud you for holding rival teams players in high esteem. I may self really enjoy the play of your team members, their talent( I don’t care for Stanton), n a GM who I think is brilliant. I am a devout RS fan n I’m very sad Mookie hadta go. The management tried to extend him many times only to be rebuffed. It’s a sad day in Boston, but since I live in Oakland now I can still see Mookie a bit.
I hope the trade works out I know Bloom is working hard to pull it off. Also I could care less Price is gone, but he’ll do well in LA.
jaysfan01
Yeah a bad trade for the Red Sox, but I’m also sitting in the al east and am glad to see them both go. Besides, Boston can always buy another championship in a year or so
GiantsX3
Odd seeing a Yankee fan grade the Sox so low here…. not
thetruth 2
Which part of Betts didn’t want an extension don’t you understand? And giving him $400 million would be insane.
Finlander
Exactly. Boston got something back for him for the short term to allow him his shot at free agency. He is probably curious about who is out there to throw out big bucks on him. Boston also wants to see what the offers are and where they come from before they craft a Betts offer. They have nice pieces in return for now, much better than a comp pick, and they are free of Price. The hassle with Eck was not good. This gives them the financial ability to at least compete to sign Betts again.
Foreveryankees
Mookie wins the MVP Yankees and Dodgers in the World Series Yankees win looks good on the Red Sox
looiebelongsinthehall
Hope this doesn’t happen but what if Mookie and/or Price get hurt in Spring Training? They then get nothing but bills for exceeding the threshold again and continue to worsen themselves with other incurred penalties.
Lovinmlb
He wants too much and isn’t going to age well. Good riddance Mookie. Didn’t want to extend, well good luck in free agency.
kahnkobra
the bosox can always sign him after the season
Prospectnvstr
They TRIED to pay him. Betts simply wanted to become a free agent at the end of this season. He PLAINLY REFUSED to negotiate a long term deal with Boston. They got a lot more than a supplemental draft pick for him. In this regard, it was a no-brainer for Boston. It sucks for the fans but it was the RIGHT BUSINESS DECISION.
ayrbhoy
Prospect- I read the Sox offered him the same type of money Cole was paid. He was offered slightly over 300 million and he refused to sign. Asking for 420M I believe. I thought Leo Messi made a ton of ca$h……
jackbee
With P James Paxton out for 3 1/2 – 4 months and probably not pitching till appx. mid June at earlies, I’d be worried more about your team’s pitching depth than lack of MB on Red Sox.
Deleted Userrr
@Yankees98 Will you be singing the same tune next offseason if they bring Mookie back as a FA?
lfcredsox
agree, absolutely ridiculous, unless they plan to sign him as an FA
1drefordays6
Not at all!
Dodgers B-: Receive a rotation piece for Hill/Ryu’s spot in the rotation with a dangerous bat.
Red Sox B: Lowered under the Tax threshold and receive two promising young players.
Twins C: Now has another young arm in the rotation with playoff experience.
looiebelongsinthehall
Can’t rate the Sox until we see what develops with respect to the return. Unless of course you feel like Yankees98.
Just_a_thought
Such a poor take Looie, if you can’t value the trades currently then the Sox never make a deal. The facts are that the Sox got a recently graduated top prospect and a current top 100, while dropping under the luxury tax. That’s already a W for the Sox and an even bigger one if the players received produce anything of substance at the major league level, which Verdugo already has
looiebelongsinthehall
The game of rating trades before the ump says “play ball” is just stupid in my view. It’s not much different than rating someone on a dating service based on their provided online profile and picture.
pustule bosey
I don’t know – honestly it seems more like a butts in seats move than a considerable upgrade, lose maeda + flexibility and gain price in the rotation is a slight hit, lose verdugo and gain betts is an upgrade but not a huge one – and betts is only for 1 year. the twins in a lot of ways got the best of this in that it is a mid year ish price for a rotation piece that they need during the offseason.
Finlander
The more you look at this deal, the more you appreciate it for how it approaches goals. Boston for all the reasons already discussed, Dodgers for their “all in now” chase for a 2020 title WITHOUT losing a farm piece, and the Twins moving a top 100 prospect to address a need by getting a playoff-experienced starting pitcher on a team friendly contract who can also slide to relief for Pineda or Hill midseason if needed. Kudos to the GMs.
dray16
Huge win for the Sox if you ask me, get two young players of that quality for an OF’r that’s a FA after 2020?!?!? Well done
cards81
I can’t believe people are giving the Red Sox anything but an A…Betts is going to FA…they got a great talent for him…they got rid of Prices contract and now will be monsters for the 2021 FA class…I’m not saying they will resign Betts but they have a good chance since they got rid of the Price contract….great move…they might be conceding 2020 season but 2021 should be interesting
Nick
*half of Price’s contract.
And I can’t give them an A when they basically just punted on the current season a week before ST.
DirtyWater04
Exactly, Nick, I’m with you. I am MUCH happier about this return vs. the rumored players the Padres were reportedly offering the other day, but that still does not offset how unhappy I am with basically giving up on a season that hasn’t even started just so they could save a few bucks.
DirtyWater04
I’m especially unhappy because if they knew they were going to do this, then let’s think about the opportunity cost of waiting until February to do it. They could have non-tendered JBJ, let Moreland walk, not sign Perez, and had a bunch of money to spend on short term mid tier FA acquisitions that could soften the blow of these losses and help keep the team in the mix next season. Instead we are presumably going to have to endure a full season of Hector Velazquez as a full time starter and the same terrible bullpen.
JoeBrady
They could have non-tendered JBJ, let Moreland walk, not sign Perez, and had a bunch of money to spend on short term mid tier FA acquisitions
—————————————————————
Yes, you could’ve done that, and saved ~$20M, but then we would still need a CF, a 1B, and an SP. You need to look at the bigger picture.
DirtyWater04
“would still need a CF, a 1B, and an SP. You need to look at the bigger picture.” ….yeah, that’s my point. Create roster holes early on the offseason when there are quality players available to fill them.
CF: guarantee you Jarret Duran could give you the same batting line as Jackie or better next season. If the FO isn’t as comfortable making that bet as I am, they could have signed Dickerson at a modest price to play left and moved Benny to center. Either way, would have been a large cost savings for either the same or better production.
1B: Michael Chavis has entered the chat
SP: you’re acting like there wasn’t a slew of respectable mid to back end starters they could have been in on if this trade had been made at the Winter Meetings. Speaking of needing a SP, who is out there now that they can get to slot in for David Price? Nobody! Gonna be great watching Velazquez or Weber get shelled every fifth day now instead.
DirtyWater04
*Jarren Duran but my point stands
Finlander
Graterol might help to transform your “terrible bullpen” with 103 mph heater and a good slider, with control.
ayrbhoy
I don’t understand the ‘punting on the season’ comments. I suppose it’s all relative. You lose a really, really good player but you lose 1 player in your lineup. Your current rotation and BP would make up 90% of your innings pitched if a healthy Price was still in your rotation all year. You want to talk about throwing away a season talk to us Mariner fans haha. You’ll get no sympathy here haha
DirtyWater04
The logic that they could go after him and land him as a FA makes sense, except they tried and failed miserably at this gambit before with Lester so I’m not holding my breath. Can only hope, I guess….
Allknowingone
Are you crazy- the Redsox get a potential All star and get rid of Price’s contract all for one year of Betts who they were unlikely to resign. This is a brilliant baseball move by the Redsox.
Nick
*half of Price’s contract.
cards81
Nick…yes they paid for some of his contract but ultimately got rid of it concerning tax and next years FA class…in other words it’s off the books now
Nick
No………. HALF of it is off the books now. The half that they’re paying still counts against the luxury tax.
deal1122
No, I’m not crazy. I understand why they did it, however, for giving up Betts and Price, plus paying some of his contract, I think they should have commanded more. Not to mention, from what I’m reading on Verdugo, this guy seems like a scumbag with an attitude. I would’ve much rather seen them make a trade with SD.
Jim Bernstein
Every “potential all star” is also a potential journeyman. In fact, without a formal tally, I am reasonable certain that there are more “potential all stars” who never achieved all star status than those who did.
Jim Emmons
What kind of idiot, assuming there are different kinds, gives the Dodgers a F, D or even a C or B grade? Sure, if Verdugo blossoms and Betts bolts in a year we’ll all want Verdugo back bur Maeda wasn’t happy the way he was being used and to get Betts without losing any prospects is a major coup. (or a sedan). And it LA inks Betts long term, as the are rumored to try, Friedman was bloody brilliant..
GOMS
Seems like the Twins overpaid. That’s assuming Graterol doesn’t become a middling reliever.
bxcrunner
Absolutely agree. As a Twins fan, I’m deeply disappointed in this move. The one positive is Maeda’s contract is cheap, less so if he gets the incentives. Graterol has the potential to be an ace-type, Maeda is decent but doesn’t have the same ceiling.
rxbrgr
Ace-type or a closer-type? Big difference there, and it seems the team and many pundits/scouts are profiling him as becoming the latter.
pustule bosey
yeah you are moving a bullpen prospect for a rotation piece that you need – isn’t a huge overpay especially in an offseason move
Priggs89
He’s not a bullpen prospect. He’s a top of the rotation starter prospect with bullpen as a fallback plan because he has elite arm talent.
martras
Graterol is a bullpen piece. He has 9 starts above A+ ball, spent the end of last season as a reliever, was treated as a reliever this past offseason and the Twins closed the door on him being a starter this year already. He is a “2” pitch, pitcher. There are no 2 pitch starters in baseball. There are no 3 pitch aces in baseball. Graterol is 60% closer, 20% relief arm, 10% mid rotation starter, 10% flame out, 0% ace.
TheWay11
Wrong on all accounts.
cman
NO HE’S not! Stop lying and read the reports.
TheWay11
Like this one?
“Graterol’s fastball sits easily in the upper-90s and he can maintain it deep into his starts. As a reliever in the big leagues last year, it averaged 99 mph and topped out at 102 mph. It’s a heavy, sinking fastball to boot, so not only does he miss bats with it, he generates a lot of groundball outs as well. His 88-90 mph slider can be an out pitch when he throws it hard enough, and he relied on it during his time with Minnesota and didn’t use what was a slower curve. He does have a changeup, though it also was shelved in his bullpen time in 2019.”
TheWay11
Not to mention he absolutely DOMINATED the Southern League last year as one of the youngest starting pitchers in the league facing hitters that were 2-4 years older than him.
Your turn…
Kslaw
But what if he gives it 110%? Would he then possibly be 10% ace?
martras
I have no idea who is arguing what point. Again, Graterol is not an ace and never will be. 2 pitch pitchers are never starters. 3 pitch pitchers will never be true aces. You need 4 pitches to be an ace because, in general, 1 of each offspeed/breaking ball doesn’t play well to hitters from 1 side of the plate. That means, with 3 pitches, you’re really a 2 pitch pitcher against one side of the plate. Being a 2 pitch pitcher means MLB level hitters WILL sit on the pitch they want and crush it as you go through the lineup multiple times.
Graterol’s curve isn’t looked at as a viable MLB pitch right now and the Twins have focused on trying to help him develop the changeup. Graterol would need to develop a change up which looks like it MIGHT get to good enough, and then go back and take a show-me curveball to the MLB level as well. Then you could see him being an ace… that’s not happening for YEARS and would be a near miracle. There’s a reason Graterol is sitting further at the back of the top 100 lists and not in the top 10… If Graterol had an effective 3rd pitch, he’d be top 10. With an effective 4th, he’d be the best prospect in baseball.
Graterol is a bullpen arm right now, regardless of how old scouting reports used to see him years ago… before his curve was abandoned and before the change up development got rough and before his elbow and shoulder started acting up costing him 2 years worth of experience of his last 4 seasons.
If you want a comp, try Alex Meyer, but with a worse changeup and slightly better fastball.
TheWay11
Well he already has another out pitch in his above-average slider, which you somehow failed to mention in your ramblings.
martras
To clarify he’s a sinking fastball (generates grounders, not whiffs) / slider (out pitch) pitcher with a non-ready changeup (like 40 grade) in development and a curveball which was completely abandoned.
He’s a 2 pitch pitcher trying to develop a 3rd, and even the slider isn’t yet consistent as he’s tinkered with how hard he’s been throwing it.
Finlander
Well, you can’t “teach” a 103 mph fastball. And he seems to have the ability to locate. These are the precursors to potentially elite. Everything works off the heater. His slider is already good. The sinking heater action is a plus. He will need some coaching assistance and experience to develop additional pitches if he is to be a starter – his injury recovery hampered that. But he is bullpen ready right now, and Boston could make use of that.
MNZeus
Also a Twins fan and I love this trade. Graterol has incredible relief/closer potential, but he wants to start. He has a stressful delivery that will keep getting him injured as a starter. We need pitching on opening day to get enough wins by end of season and need pitchers with playoff experience. Maeda satisfies both. Twins just increased their WS chance this season.
DarkSide830
yeah. i like Kenta and have doubts about Graterol, but seems you could have got something more for him.
BartoloHRball
Graterol definitely has had his shine wear off over the past 12-18mon. I think Maeda was a decent value for him, but after how tightly they have held onto Graterol, I was pretty surprised that he was moved just for Maeda.
jdgoat
Depending on the amount they owe price, the Dodgers range from A- to A+, Red Sox at B-, and Twins at C.
Maeda might turn out good for Minnesota but I think they gave up too much for that and could’ve used that asset better.
jdgoat
Red Sox get that for a value perspective. From a baseball perspective it is a D at best.
802Ghost
Boston is paying $16/m
DarkSide830
total or per year?
Cooperdooper7
I just heard 14 per year
BlueSkies_LA
Where? This seems about right but I haven’t seen any reporting.
martras
Maeda’s peripherals are great and suggest he’s been a little unlucky. He’s looked at as a solid mid rotation piece. He’s also on a VERY cheap contract for 4 years. Graterol was a cheap price to pay. Not sure what you think bullpen prospects bring these days, but nobody apart from Twins fans view Graterol as a legit ace. If he truly had that likely outcome, he’d be ranked in the top 10 MLB prospects and he’d be ahead of Lewis and Kirilloff. The Twins likely got the better end of the Red Sox trade.
DarkSide830
I really ghink Maeda is a sleeper for this year. a full time rotation berth should make him a steal at that price.
heater
They would never have gotten much better than a Maeda type with Graterol alone. It’s tough to lose touted prospects but getting a rotation arm that can step in right away who’s controlled for multiple years for him I think is a decent move. Not great but decent.
baseballpun
I think you can only view it positively from the Red Sox perspective if you believe shedding salary is a positive, in which case you are John Henry.
luckyh
No, a fan who sees the value in draft picks and planning for the future can see the value.
math
Nobody is mentioning the Dodgers also get a draft pick out of this if Mookie walks. The Sox are making the best of a bad situation but they are the ones who got themselves into said situation. See Price — paying someone to play for another team is admitting you F’d up somewhere down the line.
acarneglia
Dodgers A++
Red Sox C-
Twins B
luckyh
A++ fpor a one year rental and an oft injured, temperamental, aging, former ace? LOL
stevenbaker
@luckyh
You found the Dodger fan. But it’s still an A, considering what they gave up. The rumored trade of Ferguson, Verdugo and one other prospect was comparable to Verdugo and Graterol.. The Twins have been touting Graterol as one of their best prospects and to let Boston flip Maeda for him, from the standpoint of the way he’s been hyped for so long, seems like an overpay from the Twins perspective.
math
Dodgers keep all of their top 5 prospects. Verdugo will be lucky to get 350 ABs this year while Betts is a lock for 600. $15M for a former ace isn’t that bad. For comparison Greinke is getting $35M and cost 3 of the Astros’ top 5 prospects to acquire. Dodgers also get a comp draft pick when Mookie walks. There is really little for Dodger fans to be upset about.
DarkSide830
i wouldnt be too excited here. Price should bounce back, but Kenta could give you just as much production. Verdugo certainly isnt Betts and probably never will be, but he’s cheaper and has more control.
luckyh
Both B, If the youngin’s work out for the Sox it’s an A. Dodgers taking a big risk with Price, even for that $. Would like to see where the Sox payroll is at with the additions/subtractions.
Thronson5
I give the Red Sox a C and Dodgers an A. Now that Angels trade is just silly in my opinion and Dodgers get an F in my opinion. What they gave up and whah they got in return is odd unless they plan another trade. Giving up Stripling, Joc and Pages for an INF and prospect(s) is weird.
Just a fan
Dodgers get a utility player with control and dump salary with Pederson who is a soon to be free agent. Actually not as horrible as you might think.
sandman12
I am amazed at the fan vote on this trade. Verdugo is a super talent at minimum wage and five years of control. Those types are invaluable. Take a look at Verdugo’s rookie year vs Betts’.
The Sox failed to make the playoffs with Betts and Price and had no flexibility to add payroll and no prospects to trade for upgrades. This was an excellent move for Boston.
hiflew
You COULD compare his age 23 season to Betts’ rookie year, but there are other comparisons which could equally work. His season compares very well to rookie years of Desmond Jennings and Jose Tabata as well. So before you anoint him as the next MVP for Boston, just realize there is a better chance of him flopping than of succeeding.
Now I am not claiming he will definitely flop, because that would equally as short-sighted as claiming he will hit his ceiling for sure. He has a chance to be great, but a far better chance to just be an average big league player and also a chance to be AAA fodder in 3 years.
stymeedone
so Verdugo is not the next Mookie, hes the next Dwight Evans. I’d take that. for one year of Mook.
DarkSide830
Jose Tabata…that’s name i havent heard of since he cheated Scher out of a perfect game.
Finlander
Good contact, just middling power or speed, good “baseball instincts”..sounds like a John Olerud/Mark Grace type hitter. Might play well with the big monster, just don’t expect 35 HR/100 RBI.
mike127
If the Dodgers win the World Series—A
If they don’t win the World Series and Mookie chooses free agency—-F
If you were able to grade moves now, the Reds and White Sox would be the last two standing in October.
Ezpkns34
The Dodgers part of the deal seems to Actually be Verdugo, Maeda, Joc, Stripling & Hayes for Mookie, Price, Rengifo and a minor leaguer
Makes LAD’s grade different, at least for me
vtadave
Hayes as in Willie Mays Hayes.
30 Parks
Arguably the Twins took the biggest risk in this deal. Sox get a B. Dodgers get an A, Twins a C.
Jjfleury
As a Twins fan I am mixed. Graterol is a stud. Maeda is proven and will do well for the Twins, but I think we have given up a future All Star who could have been an elite reliever and budding starter this year. We got a known commodity in Maeda though without any seasoning needed.
I think the Red Sox will be just fine. Verdugo can flat out hit. Less power and fielding than Betts, but he is no slouch in the field. Graterol see comments above.
Dodgers may only get a rental with Betts, but man with him and Bellinger in the same lineup they will be lethal.
junkmale
Or, Bellinger plays like he did in the second half of 2019, which is far closer to his actual skillset than his ridiculous first half.
BlueSkies_LA
First six weeks, more like, a run of historic proportions. Bellinger doesn’t need to play in the stratosphere to be a valuable complement to Betts in the lineup. Just being his own self will be just fine.
Priggs89
As a White Sox fan, I agree with your assessment. Maeda is fine, but he’s going to be 32, and his ceiling doesn’t even come close to Graterol’s. I was not looking forward to watching him develop in the Twins rotation.
DTD_ATL
How can people honestly give the Twins anything but an F? Maeda can barely make it 5 innings. He’ll get lit up in the AL.
monymgr
Seems like 5/6 innings from your starter is the norm now days !! I have no Clue if he gets lit up in the American League ??
DarkSide830
why exactly is the AL harder for pitchers, especially the central? id much rather play in the AL Central than anywhere in the NL.
martras
Maeda had several starts in the 6-7 innings range last year and rarely hit 100 pitches. He pitches a hell of a lot deeper than Odorizzi and doesn’t use smoke and mirrors to get there.
Jjfleury
Red Sox: B+ with an elite reliever in 2020 and a good replacement outfielder with upside.
Dodgers: A+
Twins: B because they may have given up a future star for a mod rotation starter. With the Twins lineup though and years of control it should serve the Twins well. Just hoping we did not give Boston the pitcher version of David Ortiz who was originally a Twin. Lol
MB923
Dodgers A
Red Sox B-/C+
Twins C
BlueSkies_LA
Seems a little premature to grade this deal if we don’t know how much cash the Dodgers are getting back. The implication here is it’s around $50M (which is should be) but I haven’t seen a number reported anywhere yet.
lowtalker1
I think you added one too many 0s
Aaron Sapoznik
David Price is owed $96MM over the last 3 seasons of his original 7 yrs/$217MM free agent contract he signed with the Red Sox back in December of 2015. MLBTR is showing the Dodgers on the hook for $48MM or half of that balance while also displaying that the Red Sox are ‘giving’ up that same amount.
BartoloHRball
Another way to look at it is who would you rather have:
Sales: 3/$48m
Bumgardner 5/$85m
Keuchel: 3/$55.5m
Ryu: 4/$80m
I’d rank Ryu, Sales, Keuchel, Bum.
Ryu and Sales are likely the highest injury risks, but Ryu is great when healthy and Sales is a wiley pitcher, so his velocity concerns are less of an issue to me. Keuchel pitches like a #4 most days, so I view his deal as an overpay. Bum could fall off tomorrow. His playoff stats are well known, but his regular season stats in the past 2-3 years…ugh.
BartoloHRball
Advanced stats the past 2-3 seasons. His velocity drop worries me bc of the mileage on his arm. He could be solid for another few years or his arm will fall off.
BlueSkies_LA
Where are you finding a number? The right number for the return was always about $50M, but all I’ve seen reported so far is “significant cash considerations.”
amk3510
What happened to “Friedman won’t make a move”?
amk3510
What happened to “Friedman won’t make a big move”?
davidkaner
This was one of the most one sided trade for a legitimate superstar & a crafty veteran in modern history. Who would have thought a team like the Red Sox would make such a calculated error. They were rebuffed since 2017 on contract extensions more than once. You trade him while he had two years or more. You don’t trade him in a salary dump. Dodgers A+ Red Sox get an F. By the way, Sox net 400 million a year so they screwed up royally.
DarkSide830
i chuckled
xSpecBx
Gave the Dodgers a B because they had to take on Price, but didn’t have to give up much in prospect capital.
Gave the Sox an A because they got rid of Price, who was never a good fit for that environment and is still owed a significant amount of money with injury concerns, and were able to get some potential impact players for the future. They got more than they would have if they held onto Betts for the year and unloaded Price as well.
Gave the Twins a C because they got a #3 or #4 pitcher (maybe even a #5 depending on how he acclimates to the AL) and gave up a significant prospect in return.
Ebouch25
I see this trade to be more about Price than Betts. They wanted Price gone and Betts was the way to do it.
A'sfaninLondonUK
Nailed it. Whilst the Sox are constantly reiterating the line about Betts wanting to test free agency to keep the smoke in front of the Price sized screen…
mcmillankmm
Dodgers A, Twins A-
Red Sox D-
mcase7187
Say hello to the curse of the great Mookie
MoRivera 1999
???
Ebouch25
I give the Sox an A for the trade because Mookie is overrated. I give LA a B because they got an overrated player. Mookie will be like McCutchen in a few years.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Mookie is not overrated. He already has a peak WAR (7 years) that is identical to right fielders in the Hall of Fame (42 WAR). He’s played 5 1/3 years. He is generational.
ForestCobraAL
Mookie is scrawny.
Ebouch25
WAR is such a nerdy stat because it adds fielding into it. If there aren’t any other great players in the position then the rating is higher than it theoretically should be. OPS is the most important stat.
Clayton Russell
Agreed on dWAR, especially for OFs. A few poor baserunning decisions against you and you end up with an extra point of WAR. For a guy like Mookie, most guys with that level of defensive talent in the OF are playing center, so him playing RF inflated his WAR. I opened a Laffy Taffy the other day and on the wrapper it said, “Mookie Betts 2016 dWAR was 2.9”.
Clayton Russell
But I like wOBA over OPS which double counts batting average.
Lovinmlb
When front offices start using war I will too.
Lovinmlb
Mookie and mccutchen is a great comp. Agree 100% Him not doing an extension is going to be a blessing for Red Sox fans. Let some other big market get stuck with his bloated Salary. A for Dodgers still. Sell those tickets. Pump up the fan base. Just don’t resign him. Reverse evolution going from Trout numbers in 2018 to Last year’s of Pirates Cutch, to Phillies Cutch, to Yankees Ellsberry
johndietz
I give the Red Sox an A+, and I don’t even like them. They weren’t going to win the East this year. Mookie wasn’t going to sign an extension because he wants to explore the market. They were able to dump Price’s contact, which was a typical Dombrowski type of signing. They reset their tax. They get value for Betts now and can pursue him in the off season for market rate. It always seems to cost the hometown team more to retain their own stars. This was a smart move for Boston.
bobtillman
Saying the Sox ownership is cheap is just silly. Free Agency means the player choses his destiny, and Mookie (you can speculate forever as to why; he’s a pretty private guy, we may never know) just wasn’t going to re-sign.
Even using the Forbes’ figures, which I’ll grant are subject to scrutiny (everybody, especially the Sox, lies about revenue), the Sox spend a higher portion of that revenue on payroll than just about any team.
The Sox did OK; the Dodgers “won” in the sense they were ‘sitting in the catbird seat”; they have the money, they have the prospect inventory. More credit to them.
And it’s not like the Sox are running away and hiding. Bene-Boegarts-Devers-JD Martinez- Verdugo and some attractive spare parts is at least an 83 win team. It was ALWAYS going to depend on Sale’s and Eovladi’s health, with or without Mookie.
mays2425
This is an amazing trade by the Red Sox. I think this is a fair trade all around
Mark K
The dodgers had a great lineup last year and now they have an even better one but… after buehler they have an aging Kershaw and?
ForestCobraAL
GERRIT COLE
HE was the finishing piece for the Dodgers.
lowtalker1
Dodgers C
They gave up vertugo min salary for one year of Betts 27 mil and David price for 3 years at 96 mil. They gave up maeda who was only owed 12.5 mil from now until end of 2023. Joc is whatever. A lot of power for sure.
Twins B
Red Sox A for not only shedding that payroll but get a talented kid that bats left and can play all 3 outfield positions for min salary
amk3510
LOL salty Padres fan
123redsox
The sox an A, the Dodgers a B and the Twins an A. … 1) I give the sox an A because it helped them get under the luxury tax
2) got price out of the locker room
3) got two cheap controlled high upside players. – a replacement for betts and a pitcher
The Dodgers need to win a world series this year in order to make out well. Even if the Dodgers sign betts long term, you could make the case they were going to sign him regardless and the sox maximized their return.
CobiEven
It so funny how brain washed Red Sox fans are. You give it an A because it gets them under the luxury tax? You guys not making any money out there. You guys are truly sad cases.
123redsox
You are delusional. The dodgers gave away their future for one year of betts. If they sign betts after this year then they could have had betts and verdugo.. only way the Dodgers win the deal is if they win the title in 2020. Sox maximized their return AND got under the cap. Grow up
Clayton Russell
But they didn’t give away their future, they gave away one guy who might be great if he stays healthy and a pitcher that was complaining about being used out of the bullpen. I’m not saying Verdugo is easily replaceable, but there is a chance that DJ Peters ends up having a better career than him. Peters could also never be a starter. Certainly, Alex grades out as a better prospect, but it’s hard to see losing just Verdugo and Meada as giving up on the future.
123redsox
Never said giving up on the future. But if they keep mookie past this year which is unlikely, verdugo would be much better than Pollack
123redsox
Never said giving up on the future. But if they keep mookie past this year which is unlikely, verdugo would be much better than Pollack
Clayton Russell
Fair enough. You said “gave away” not “giving up on” I like Alex and I would have liked to have kept him for the very reason you mention. But having seen some of the rumors in the press, I’m happy enough with how it turned out. They managed to hold on to Downs, Ruiz, and other guys that were constantly mentioned and they come out of this with one of the best 26 man rosters while maintaining one of the best farm systems as well..
123redsox
I’m sorry I probably should have phrased it as “gave up a potential key component of their future “
123redsox
I’m sorry I probably should have phrased it as “gave up a potential key component of their future “
Clayton Russell
Yeah, that’s true. But the Dodgers FO puts a value on short deals which is essentially what they got with Betts. Usually to get someone like that, you have to give them a huge risky contract or trade a boatload of talent. This was a rare occasion where they were able to add a superstar without giving up a lot of talent or handing out an 8-10 year contract.
JoeBrady
You give it an A because it gets them under the luxury tax?
——————————————————————–
Said absolutely no one, ever.
If we wanted to get under the cap, we could’ve traded JDM, Price (both at losses) and non-tendered JBJ.
This was about both getting under the cap in 2020, getting payroll flexibility for 21 & 22, and adding younger players, since our farm stinks.
I don’t think you are paying any attention whatsoever.
123redsox
Please read my entire initial statement. I really don’t feel like typing out again.
jgebby2827
i am just tired of every time price starts will he give up 4 on 50 pitches in the first or will he be out after 5 bc of pitch count he doesnt seeem to care if he pitches good or gets bimbed
metsie1
I don’t see much written as to whether or not Betts is open to re-signing with the Dodgers. So we really can’t grade this trade until we see how this season works out and what happens with Betts next off season. Dodgers seem to need to win the WS this season. They look good but lots of things can happen along the way.
ForestCobraAL
NO.
Betts is NOT signing a deal with the Dodgers.
100% not happening. Betts is hitting the open market like Machado did.
MoRivera 1999
The list of teams that can sign Betts next offseason is extremely short and the Dodgers are on it. I don’t see how you can confidently assert that they will not sign him.
ForestCobraAL
I did not assert that.
Reading comprehension.
Work on it.
MoRivera 1999
“Betts is NOT signing a deal with the Dodgers.”
What’s to comprehend?
Eric518
Actually you did assert that Betts is not signing a deal with the Dodgers. Maybe you meant that he would not sign an extension with them prior to reaching free agency? If that’s the case it’s your original statement that requires an adjustment. I guess it was too much effort to proof what you wrote before impugning someone’s ability to understand it?
A'sfaninLondonUK
Out of interest Mo, who do you think that short list contains? Personally I’d agree and include the Dodgers, add the Red Sox, the Rangers (because they’ll need a new stadium icon) and then I’m struggling….
ForestCobraAL
“I don’t see much written as to whether or not Betts is open to re-signing with the Dodgers.”
That’s what I replied to. That’s the plot.
When you lose the plot, you’re lost.
Eric518
If I am misunderstanding you I apologize, but your reply doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t change that:
1) you did assert your opinion
2) you did not appreciate being challenged and lashed out defensively by demeaning his/her reading comprehension skills
You seem ill-equipped to handle criticism directed at you. Good luck with that. . . .
MoRivera 1999
ForestCobraAL
You wrote: “Betts is NOT signing a deal with the Dodgers.”
I said: “I don’t see how you can confidently assert that they will not sign him.”
If you are saying Betts is NOT signing with the Dodgers, which you did, then you are also asserting that the Dodgers will NOT sign him, as I deduced.
Riddle your way out of that forest, oh Cobra.
ForestCobraAL
I’m not clear on the money at all.
The Red Sox sent $48 million to the Dodgers?
The Red Sox got rid of $48 million of Price’s contract?
Big difference. Let’s be perfectly clear on the money.
larry48
Both are true 48 million to Dodgers and 48 million of price contract to Dodgers. Dodgers and Boston split priced contract 50 50
ForestCobraAL
That is an astonishing return for the Red Sox.
This makes zero sense for the Dodgers. Gerrit Cole was their move. This is actually dumb.
Why would the Dodgers GM – The Dream Team – do something blatantly stupid?
A'sfaninLondonUK
Cobra – can you see all those eggs? They’re going in one LAD 2020 WS basket.
Price at $16m per year is between cheap and reasonable, One year of 7 WAR Betts is an $18m – $20m upgrade on one year of 2-3 WAR Joc Pederson.
The Dodgers are going all in after 7 straight division titles and nothing to show for it.
ForestCobraAL
Price sucks. He’s on a steep decline and the Dodgers fully understand that.
This was the SECOND—-BAILOUT of the Sox by the Dodgers.
Mark Walter giving large to John Henry for no discernible reason.
dodgersvictoryagain
Well @Yankees98. Hope you feel liberated coming out of the closet. That must of been hard to hide from friends and family. Now you can live free like RuPaul
bravesfan
I’m surprised that so many people think this deal is good “b or better” for the twins. Looks like a pretty bad deal to me. They get a decent pitcher but at a high cost in prospect capital. Fills a sorta need I guess, but I’d take my chance on that prospects bullpen future honestly …
Les Chesterfield
I see how it’s hard for a Brave’s fan to understand what going for it means as Braves goal every year is to win 85-90 games and be in the discussion for a wild card.
Twins missed out on several starters and are clearly all in on this season. So they traded a guy who throws 100 when there are several others who do the same all over the minors to sure up a decent rotation for the season and seasons to come. Fantastic addition of proven talent! Solid A move
Lovinmlb
Yes because bullpen prospects are much more valuable than major league starters.
Les Chesterfield
The trade market has been an absolute fire sale since Jeter the broke joke was allowed to buy a team and sell off all his talent for no return. Since then, when a quality player whos already getting paid with limited time left on his contract, returns almost no MLB quality prospects. Red Sox changed all that with one trade by acquiring two players with tons of control on a team with tons of controllable assets. No clue how they fix their pitching staff but outside of that- this is a very dangerous team and well ran franchise.
Obviously the Dodgers are better this year, but in the past they have balked at the redonkulous contracts that Betts will make- if so, they are going to be weaker for many years to come for this season while their rotation projects to regress. As a reds fan- this is not discouraging at all.
Twins made their best move of the offseason by far. I’ll enjoy rooting for them in the AL this year.
Great trade all around- Red Sox and Twins both A’s and Dodger’s C
ForestCobraAL
But the Red Sox got that haul from their buddies the Dodgers.
This was BAILOUT Number Two by the Dodgers in service of the Red Sox.
Why?
Les Chesterfield
I can buy that. It was surely a substantial bailout no doubt. Baseball always draws more fans when dodgers Boston yanks are all at the top. Maybe mlb playing a part to keep Boston relevant ??
Lovinmlb
They will just reload. Not like they don’t have prospects or money.
Rangers29
Dodgers – C (Looking to the future, this was a bad move, because they won’t be able to resign Betts, and they gave up Verdugo who was 5-6 years of control, AND Maeda is more valuable than Price in the sense that Maeda can come out of the bullpen and rotation, Price can’t, and Price’s expensive)
Red Sox – A (New top prospect, + a terrific young player with control, WHILE ALSO being able to dump contracts on the dodgers… YES)
Twins – C (They got what they needed, but I can’t be happy about giving up Graterol for ONLY Maeda. I understand the “win now” aspect, but I would’ve rather seen Graterolused in a package to go get somebody better, though I do like Maeda)
homerheins
Assuming all players play to their peak value, your analysis is actually the best from a 5 year standpoint. The Dodgers are paying a lot more for less overall, but they really want that extra added production in the short term. However, they are one of the few teams with the money to resign Betts, especially if his jersey sells well.
MoRivera 1999
Don’t really understand how the Betts jersey will sell well when people don’t know if he’s only a rental. Are people walking around with Machado tee shirts? (I know Machado is less likable but I’m sure some fans were excited by him. I just can’t see many buying a shirt knowing he was a rental.)
amk3510
They traded 0 of their top prospects to get Betts, have plenty of OF depth to wistand losing Verdugo and will get a pick if Mookie leaves. And you must not have watched the 2018 playoff where Price came out of the pen multiple times.
Arm
Twins should of traded graterol for a pitcher like robbie ray or gray, not maeda. Grade a generous c. Personally you don’t give up a potential game changer for a player that is not a difference maker.
Dodgers made out nice one prospect for a star even if for a year.
Boston made out like bandits 2 top prospects for somebody who was going to walk plus a salary dump, not too shabby…
martras
Maeda is WAY better than Robbie Ray…
bigsombrero
Don’t you think the Twins maybe, just maybe, tried to dangle Graterol for Gray or Robbie Ray? Sometimes you have to just get the best you can. You’re really overestimating Graterol – he’s not going to be Nolan Ryan, dude. And you’re really underestimating Maeda.
Ebouch25
I’m reading these comments and so many people are drooling over Betts. I’m a Sox fan and couldn’t wait for him to leave because of his ridiculous asking price. The AAV I didn’t mind, but the years was asinine. Due to his size, he can’t hold up to a 6 year contract, nevermind 12.
Cooperdooper7
Amen…. any team giving more then 6 or 7 years are crazy… and the Yankees gave up a 9 year deal for Cole…lol ………… Someone please tell me or provide 1 example of a contract for over 7 years to any player has worked out for that team (and for those fools who need it spelled out — that is an 8 year plus contract)
Lovinmlb
Jeter, arod, manny, Cabrera. Some of those guys had some extra help but they were good contracts.
Payne Train
If anyone thinks the Red Sox should get less than an B plus or an A on this trade, your crazy.
They unloaded a ton of money, unloaded an overpaid pitcher who’s hurt all the time and old, traded a guy who has said that he will go to free agency .
And then they got back Vurdugo and Graterol. Now they get those very talented guys and have more money to spend in the next two years of top tier free agents. lol at anyone who thinks otherwise
Rangers29
Exactly what I said two comments up.
Payne Train
Yep, I have ya a thumbs up for it . I seen it after I posted. If they could trade JD Mart now, they would look like absolute geniouses. (Caus they would then just resign Betts in the offseason)
jcraft21
Twinkie’s A +
Absolutely relevant
Tampa a serious contender as well
No Betts in division helps
Priggs89
You must be a Twins fan…
They gave up an excellent prospect with top of the rotation stuff and solid command for a ~32 year old mid-rotation pitcher. That’s not what they need to take the next step.
cman
You are just ignorant. Graterol does not “have” top of the rotation stuff nor “solid command”. Sure he throws triple digits on his fastball which is straight as an arrow and major league hitters can tee off on, he also has ZERO secondary offerings worth noting. He’s not even a starting rotation candidate as a one pitch pitcher.
Shows how much you know.
TheWay11
You are 100% wrong – nice try though.
homerheins
LA hasn’t been able to buy a World Series yet, and this doesn’t change anything. Just makes slaying the giant and watching their fans cry all that much more interesting.
ABCD
Red Sox A
Dodgers B
Twins C
Clayton Russell
Where’s the poll for the Competitive Balance Tax or the whole reason this trade happened? I’ll give it an F. Let the big teams spend if they want to. If you have to increase revenue sharing, go ahead, but the Red Sox (or anyone else) shouldn’t be penalized for wanting to keep their players if they can afford it.
Dorothy_Mantooth
In a perfect world, Mookie misses Boston and resigns with the Sox next year after his full season in LA (the world is far from perfect though).
My biggest concern with the deal is that the entire Red Sox OF bats left handed now (Verdugo, Benny, JBJ). That makes 5 lefties in their starting lineup (Devers & Moreland). Now that the Sox are well below the tax line, they should consider signing Puig to a cheap, 1 year deal as a 4th outfielder / platoon player for when Boston is facing a tough, LH pitcher or when Verdugo’s lingering back issue flares up.
The key to this trade will be Graterol. If they can turn him into a starter, I think Boston did as well as they could have given the circumstances (A grade) If he becomes a reliever, then the grade slips to a B. Only time will tell!
Side note: Dodgers get an A for the Boston trade but they get an F for the Joc Pederson trade. They got NOTHING in return for a guy who hit 36 HRs last season. A steep price to pay just to get below the tax line (which they will probably end up exceeding anyways come mid season acquisition time). Very short-sighted.
The Human Rain Delay
Puig hits a lot better vs right hand pitchers than left- Hes not your guy
Goose
I give the Dodgers a B but it comes with risk. Betts could put them over the top but Betts said he is going to free agency. Price hasn’t pitched over 200 innings the last three seasons. He has had a 74 and 107 inning in two of those seasons. The cost is worth it though as Maeda wasn’t going to start and Verdugo is something they could spare.
The Red Sox get a B for Bloom making the best of a bad situation. Mookie WAS NOT GOING TO SIGN EARLY. They were going to lose leverage because if they didn’t at least move Mookie they would have been in the luxury tax penalty Now they get Verdugo, who is a good young player and a quality pitching prospect, something their farm is lacking. They are not facing the international money and pick penalty for being over the cap. They are now $16 million under giving them some room for next season.
The Twins get a B because Maeda is a good veteran starter to add for your 4th best prospect in your organization. It isn’t like the Twins aren’t going to be in the mix again.
The Angles aren’t listed but it isn’t a bad move to add a LH power bat to their lineup with Trout and Rendon being RH. It didn’t cost much in talent. That might have the best value/risk transaction out of the 4.
restingmitchface
Dodgers: A
Red Sox: C
Twins: B
Walker21Bellibomb35
The only part of this trade I hate is losing Verdugo. He’s gonna be a future all-star. But you gotta give something to get something (Mookie’s not to bad of a player himself). Good luck in Boston Alex
AllRiseForTheJudge
Even as a Yankees fan, I’m happy to give Boston an A for the ROI alone. Betts was never signing an extension and he’s going to sign with the highest bidder in October, whether that’s Boston or someone else.
Price’s contract was an albatross for the team, and getting rid of most of what’s left on his deal AND offloading all $27MM owed to Betts for just this season, plus getting back Verdugo and Graterol? That’s a win no matter how you look at it.
As for the Dodgers, they get Betts, but David Price has proven to be a slug in October so I’m not sure how THAT helps, especially after letting Ryu leave. I’d like this trade better from their side if they were adding Price to a rotation that still featured Ryu. As it stands currently, LA now has two starters who can’t perform in the playoffs with Kershaw as the other. I also don’t like the Pederson trade, so overall I’d give them a B+. Not an overpay, but when you consider the trades of Verdugo and Pederson, it’s almost a lateral move in bringing in Betts with the upside of his ridiculous defense.
The Twins on the other hand gave up one of the best prospects in baseball for Kenta Maeda. Depending on how Graterol pans out, their end of the deal could be anywhere from a B to an F.
martras
Graterol is a top 100 prospect, but not it’s not like he’s an elite prospect. He’s not in the top 50, and arguably not even the Twins best pitching prospect…
MNZeus
Jordan Balazovic #1
martras
I’d agree. Balazovic looks like the real deal. I’ve seen other people argue Duran is a better starter prospect than Graterol as well, but I’m not totally sold on that one quite yet.
I suppose everybody has their favorites, haha.
MNZeus
If Duran puts in the necessary work this year to improve his control he absolutely will prove to be a better prospect for the Twins than Graterol. Personally would take Duran over Graterol if the goal is to have an MLB starter. Plus Duran has upside as a potential closer if he doesn’t succeed as a starter just like Graterol.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Red Sox paid a bit much down on Price’s contract, but not egregiously. Getting Verdugo and Graterol out of this is a win for them, considering they can just buy Betts back next year.
Twins’ time to win is now and they kept their two best prospects while getting a guy who’s probably going to be their 2nd best pitcher. Graterol may be better, but by the time he is, White Sox will be stronger and JD will be declining.
Dodgers just went all in on this year at the expense of one of their best prospects. Still have Lux, but it seems like a bad deal for them unless they win it all.
kwolf68
All grades are a B to me, because still a lot of “what ifs’ left. I can see the deal from all sides.
Plus?
-Boston gets a couple nice young players and payroll flexibility back
-LAD gets a star to incorporate into the World Series push
-Twins add a quality win now starting pitcher
There could be negative ramifications for all teams involved, but that won’t be known for at least a year.
HubertHumphrey
It is nice to see the Twins make a trade, even if they “lose” it.
They’ll need someone to pick up the slack, once Berrios runs out of gas in August.
ForestCobraAL
Remember when Bowie Kuhn stepped in and stopped Charles Finley from selling star players to the Yankees?
When is the Commissioner of MLB going to stop the Dodgers from bailing out the Red Sox?
Why does Mark Walter feel an obligation to continually give John Henry massive amounts of both cash and top shelf young talent?
whyhayzee
Kuhn stopped the Red Sox from getting Fingers and Rudi at the same time he stopped the yankees from getting Blue.
ForestCobraAL
But no one is even talking about the Red Sox – John Henry – always being able to get handsomely bailed out by the Dodgers – Mark Walter – anytime they get into this payroll tax issue.
This is Bailout Number Two.
No return to the Dodgers ever happens. It’s always Dodgers to the Red Sox.
tommy-9
Twins fans tricking themselves into thinking Maeda is better than Graterol
martras
Maeda is unquestionably better than Graterol right now. It’s not even close. Graterol has some potential to exceed Maeda’s value and at a cheaper price in 1-2 years. The Red Sox can afford to take the risk Graterol never becomes a starter because they have the pockets and ownership willing to sign ace pitching.
kwolf68
He’s a potential horse no question, but Maeda helps them now. Not sure Graterol does. Graterol comes with some risks as well, though his upside is immense, if he can stay healthy and if he can continue to develop a third offering, the Red Sox got a good one here.
cman
Here’s the thing. Graterol developing a third offering has gone nowhere so far. The front office has had coaches working with him for quite a while now and it has not happened yet. Plus his triple digits fastball is straight as an arrow which MLB hitters can and have crushed. In the minors he can get away with that, but not in the majors. That is why many are now projecting him as a closer. It is next to impossible to be a one or two pitch starter.
Graterol is not even close to a sure bet. Maybe the Red Sox are able to develop him but at this point in time and probably the next three seasons Maeda is definitely better than Graterol. Maeda is a pitcher, Graterol is a thrower with gas on his fastball. Big difference.
JoeBrady
LA-A, RS-A, MN-B
I’m not sure how anyone doesn’t treat this as a win for the RS.
We gave up Betts & Price, we acquired Verdugo and the equivalent of $43M. As good as Betts is, that $43M is worth more than his production.
Put another way, in 2021, if we so desire, which I wouldn’t recommend. We can easily sign Betts with the money we saved on Betts arb salary plus the excess on Price. We would then have Betts, Verdugo & Graterol, instead of Betts & Price.
Betts was a great player for us, but we are better off trading him, imo.
Nick
“We can easily sign Betts with the money we saved on Betts arb salary plus the excess on Price.”
The Sox’ ownership could easily sign Betts either way. Acting like that $27M savings in 2020 is going to be rolled over into 2021 payroll is an odd way of expressing it. Maybe that’s not what you meant, but that’s how it kind of sounded.
Obviously the reset of the Luxury Tax could help in signing Betts next year. Maybe that was your point? But “we saved $27M in 2020 so we’ll spend it in 2021″… That isn’t how ML front offices think. For big market clubs their payroll is going to be largely structured around the various LT thresholds.
JoeBrady
It was meant to be an example of the value of the money.. I think people are under-estimating how much better shape we now financially. Let’s say we did not have a cap issue. In 2020, we just saved $43M. For $43M, in today’s market, we could’ve bought Ryu & Donaldson.
In equivalent terms, we theoretically traded Betts & Price for Verdugo, Graterol, Ryu & Donaldson.
MoRivera 1999
Except for the fact that you don’t have Ryu and Donaldson. You have more money in Henry’s pocket.
JoeBrady
That’s what the equivalent of what the money is worth.
DarkSide830
how much salery did the Sox retain?
WAH1447
Right now the Red Sox get s D with the potential to get as high as an A if these 2 young guys they got turn out to be studs
The dodgers get an A even though Mookie only has 1 year left they still got him and a quality former Cy young winner without given up lux May or smith. Hell of a move by the dodgers
The twins get a D and can get an F if the prospect they traded away turns out to be a stud. Kenta is not worth a top 100 prospect he was basically there number 5 guy/ swing man since he pitched out of the bullpen towards the end of the season and the playoffs. What a stupid move by the twins. That’s just being desperate. Idc if they have a ton of high quality young arms in the minors this move by them sucks
cman
Agreed. The Twins deserve an F on this deal. TERRIBLE trade that makes their front office look absolutely desperate and just stupid giving up a top 25 league pitching prospect for a mediocre / fringe MLB starter whose 32 year olds. A guy who can barely throw five innings any given night and has averaged 4+era most of his MLB career whom the Dodgers demoted the last two years.
Stupid, STUPID trade on the Twin’s part. They got fleeced AGAIN. LOL
ForestCobraAL
“Dodgers Bailout Red Sox….Again”
Headline that should be everywhere.
What does Mark Walter owe John Henry and why does he owe it?
Clayton Russell
It’s fair to look at it that way, but if you look at it from the Dodgers perspective, how often do you get a chance to get a superstar on a 1 year deal? And if the Dodgers end up paying 3/45M for Price, that’s a decent deal too and maybe less than what he’d get on the open market if he were a FA this offseason.
Giving up Verdugo hurts of course, but Friedman never seemed to like him that much anyway for some reason.
ForestCobraAL
Lots of other teams like Verdugo. If the Dodgers didn’t like him then why did they say NO to so many trade offers where the other team wanted Verdugo?
Something about Mark Walter and John Henry stinks bigtime.
Nick
Apples/Oranges.
The Dodgers saved the Red Sox close to $252M and close to $60M/year for the first few years with the Crawford/Gonzalez trade.
In this deal they’re only saving $75M total, giving up the 2nd best player in the game to do it and after year 1 it is $16M/year.
ForestCobraAL
Same fruit. Different size basket.
What does Mark Walter owe John Henry and when will the debt be paid off?
Nick
The size of the basket kind of matters…
The 2012 trade gave the Red Sox a franchise altering amount of salary relief in exchange for a top 25 or so player.
The 2020 trade gives the Sox enough relief to dip under the luxury tax in exchange for a top 5 (arguably top 2) player.
There’s also the reality that Price is a more useful player in 2020 than either Crawford or Beckett were in 2012.
Finally, the trade doesn’t have the “WTF” are they doing vibe that the previous trade did. They’re dealing Verduga and Maeda for clear upgrades at their positions. They’re giving up very little in this deal.
whyhayzee
Win-win-win. No grades. Too early. Each team got something they need. Long term this might turn out to be a huge win for the Red Sox but way too early to tell.
nbgiant25
Grading trades doesn’t work that way. You have to grade it immediately, not based on future results. That’s irrelevant and impossible to how sensible deals are in the moment.
mike156
You have to give the Red Sox an A (as much as I dislike them) because they met their goals–get rid of the cost of Betts and a hefty slice of Price, replaced Mookie with a younger talent, who, while not at Betts’ level, is good and can get better, and picked up a prospect, While nothing is impossible. their chances in 2020 to win WS were fairly slim, and only the chance of winning another WS would have been worth that kind of money. I get what the Dodgers are doing, but need to see the rest of the Pederson trade before you can give them a grade.
DakotaJoe
Dodgers A
Boston A – only if they use the freed up payroll to sign Betts next year. If they do that they up one year of Betts while shredding Price. Pus, they got a great OF in Verdugo and a great prospect. If they don’t go after Betts next year I give them a D
Twins D – Maeda has averaged less than 140 innings the past three years in a very big balllpark and with a staff where they could afford to not start him every five days. Twins gave up a great prospect and while I always root for the underdog I see this trade as being a disaster in Maeda and more so if Graterol becomes a serviceable big league pitcher
nbgiant25
Dodgers B-
Get an impact player, yes, but nothing that really moves the needle. They needed rotation help, and Price isn’t that. One-year rental at that, though I’m sure they have a shot at resigning.
Red Sox A
Unload Betts (and contract) and Price (and half contract) for many years of a proven MLB contributor (that can immediately take over Betts’ RF) and highly rated pitching prospect. Win all around.
Twins C
Yes, they needed pitching, but they’re really banking on their window closing quickly to trade a solid P prosepct for Maeda, who is no impact arm.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Impact is a relative term. If you’re bad enough at a position, a guy who’s solid but unspectacular is a big upgrade, and that’s what Maeda is. They have Kiriloff and Lewis coming up, but Cruz will retire at some point, JD will eventually decline, and they’re likely to lose young guys to FA after their rookie deals. The time for them to go for it is now.
nbgiant25
I agree with your first statement, but they’re banking an awful lot on the team having a legitimate chance of a deep playoff run, which I don’t think anyone can say is anything but an outside shot.
If this is their window, it appears to be very small and located on the side of a submarine at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
amk3510
Betts is a top 5 player in baseball. He absolutely moves the needle
nbgiant25
How so? What does he provide above and beyond what the Dodgers already have at their disposal? They have little need for more offense. They need pitching. He doesn’t create a greater outcome, which is moving the needle. You can’t say they’re now more likely to win the WS, because their offense didn’t markedly improve.
amk3510
You have to be kidding me. What does he provide not at their disposal? How about a second MVP to add to their outfield lmao. Another huge bat to add to their lineup. Imagine being this much of a slave to the numbers.
nbgiant25
Imagine being completely blinded by “star power”, which you apparently are. So what if the Dodgers average .1 more runs per game in 2020… It doesn’t change their likely outcome. They’ll win the NL West, which they were going to do without him. Even if they do win the WS, you won’t be able to draw it back to anything Betts does. Their need was, and still is, pitching. Adding MB changes nothing in their 2020 projections.
scottaz
WAR math 2019: Dodgers lost Verdugo 3.1 WAR and Joc Peterson 3.3 WAR = 6.4 WAR and gained Betts 6.8 WAR, so Dodgers gain 0.4 WAR.
Dodgers lost Maeda 1.8 WAR and Ross Stripling 0.9 WAR = 2.7 WAR, and gained Price 1.9 WAR, so Dodgers lost 0.8 WAR.
Total WAR, Dodgers lost 0.4 WAR with this trade and dumping salaries to the Angels to stay under the Tax threshold.
amk3510
That’s not how this works. 6.8 WAR from 1 player is far more valuable than 6.4 from 2 different playees.
scottaz
Net effect on the Team totals is relevant. Plus, if Dodgers can’t extend Betts, the long term perception of this trade might change. And, this is also the age old argument about putting all your eggs in one basket—if Betts gets injured this year Dodgers lose a big chunk of productivity. If on the other hand they still had Joc and Verdugo and one got injured, they would lose far less productivity and have the depth to cover for the injury.
scottaz
From a Team perspective, don’t get all starry eyed that the DODGERS added Mookie Betts to their juggernaut! Betts isn’t joining the 2019 DODGERS team, he’s joining the new, 2020 Dodgers team, a team that just lost 4 productive players from last year, who totaled 8.1 Wins Above Replacement. So don’t pretend that the Dodgers just added 6.8 wins to their team. There was a loss involved in these transactions.
Moneyballer
This assessment is just horribly wrong!
scottaz
OK, explain. I just did the math on WAR values for all the players the Dodgers just gained and lost. It’s just analytics.
chesteraarthur
Because you’re ignoring the ~300abs more that Verdugo/Pederson took to accumulate that and ~140 innings by the pitchers. Those opportunities aren’t going to be replaced by 0 WAR players.
JoeBrady
The first thing is that the 6.4 WAR that Joc/Verdugo combined for was in 891 PAs, while Betts had only 706 PAs. You have to add back the WAR that the other 285 PAs will produce.
Same with the pitchers. Maeda & Stripling combined for 244.1 IPs, while Price had only 107.1 IPs. You have to add back the value of what the extra 137 IPs will produce.
Rosstradamus
Mookie>Verdugo and Price>Maeda…Mookie is a SUPERSTAR right now today and all season long(and I really like Verdugo btw, long run BoSox may have something here, but right now Mookie’s a pretty sizable upgrade!) As for Price, he’ll be much MUCH better off getting out of the AL East and into the NL West and also is likely a pretty big upgrade over solid yet unspectacular Maeda! Dodgers were already pretty good, now they could be GREAT!
MoRivera 1999
Joe Brady
Math error. Joc/Verdugo had 185 more PA’s than Betts, NOT 285 more PA’s.
JoeBrady
It was such a nice reply, before the math mistake. Ugh.
The Human Rain Delay
You got it all figured out dont ya , how cute
everlastingdave
LAD- A. They added the best player to be traded in a very long time to an already championship-caliber roster, and Friedman didn’t have to dig deep into prospects to do it. He just had to take on cash.
BOS- B. Verdugo, Graterol, and $46M is a staggering return, but “We did it, we dropped under the luxury tax threshold” is exciting for the owners, not the fans.
MIN- B. As a White Sox fan, the Twins’ sketchy rotation gave me hope. I don’t love seeing it addressed.
bluebirds
LAD: A
BOS: B
MIN: B
They all got what they wanted; a win is a win is a win!
ATL_ranger
Conspiracy theory time. Remember when the Yanks picked up Gleyber by trading Chapman at the deadline and then immediately re-signing him the following offseason?
Boston and Betts have already agreed to sign a $400M+ deal next offseason. But this way the Sox shed Price, reset the CBT and pick up a stud prospect in the process. Let Mookie go play for a year in LA and try to win a WS, then come back and keep it rolling in Boston with a new young stud and less worry about the payroll.
Lol. Maybe not something that’s been explicitly agreed to on both sides but has to be what Boston is hoping for at least…
The Human Rain Delay
I mem bees
Diggydugler
keep in mind Fenway is a joke of a ballpark, as is Yankee Stadium where he will play many a game.,So expect Verdugo to excel.
queensburykid
So many people commenting on the Betts emotional factor. The Red Sox had no little choice about Betts. He would cost a fortune to resign. 350-400 million probably. DD’s World Series title is responsible for their current situation. Weak farm system, expensive contracts,
queensburykid
So many people commenting on the Betts emotional factor. The Red Sox had no little choice about Betts. He would cost a fortune to resign. 350-400 million probably. DD’s World Series title is responsible for their current situation. Weak farm system, expensive contracts,
cman
The Twins absolutely deserve an ‘F’ on this deal.
Just a TERRIBLE trade that makes Falvey and Levine look like absolute amateurs desperate for ANY mlb ready starter.
Not only did they blow their wad on an over the hill Donaldson earlier NOW they’ve just traded arguably their best prospect, a league top 25 league pitching prospect who EASILY throws triple digits, for a mediocre / fringe 32 year old Japanese Pitcher who can barely throw five innings any given night and has averaged 4+era most of his MLB career with the Dodgers.
Just a Stupid, STUPID trade on the Twin’s part.
Moneyballer
The only stupid thing here is your comment! It was a fine trade for a team needing a reliable starter. Move along with your nonsense.
JoeBrady
LOL! Donaldson, with a 6.1 fWAR, is over the hill? I don’t like four years, but the salary is good. I wouldn’t argue with anyone either liking or not liking the trade, but if you think he is over the hill, you need to put down the pipe or bong, or whatever you’re on.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Sometimes, you have to trade a prospect you believe will be better than the guy you’re getting because your window is now. Such is the case with the Twins. Astros and Red Sox are weaker, Rangers and White Sox got better but not good enough, so Yankees are the real team to beat, with A’s and Rays two other threats in the AL. As the White Sox proved in 2005, anything can happen in the playoffs.
Les Chesterfield
The disgruntled fan when his team is trying to win always blows my mind.
The Human Rain Delay
Me 3 Les !!!!
Jeremy1593
Dodgers : I give them a B didn’t give up much prospects upgraded they’re outfield and got a decent pitcher in price he’s a bit over paid but I think he’ll pitch better in the national league
Red Sox : only good thing about this trade they slashed they’re payroll which in the end was the whole point of the trade verdugo is nice but he needs to stay healthy I give them a C because I would’ve liked them to at least get one more top prospect at least a catcher
Twin : F Maeda is gonna torched in the American League not to mention he can barely stay healthy
Moneyballer
It was a fine pickup for minnesota, you have no clue what you’re talking about.
nbgiant25
The Red Sox did get another top prospect…
Moneyballer
These A grades for LA will not age well if this team fails (again) to win a world series and Betts leaves in free agency. They will have used valuable trade capital and money for nothing. Odds are this becomes a reality.
nbgiant25
I give the Dodgers a B- at best, but it’s more realistically a C.
Bravescj10
Am I the only one that thinks the dodgers just made a bunch of crappy moves. For 1 year of Betts. (Who had a good season not great last year). They took on price and Betts for a total of 120m roughly. They gave up a prized prospect. And basically gave away joc Pederson who btw put up numbers pretty close to Betts.
scottaz
I agree more with you than I do with the commenters who are all starry eyed about Mookie and don’t recognize that the Dodgers gave up some very good MLB players, not far away prospects, and that there is some risk involved with putting all your eggs in one basket.
Clayton Russell
If we’re just talking the Betts trade, it seems fair to me. We don’t know the entire scope of the Anaheim trade, so it’s hard to grade that one just yet. I agree that they gave up a lot, but if they got decent prospects back for Joc and Ross then maybe it’s not as bad as you think.
scottaz
OK, but my focus is on the 2020 Dodgers team because that’s the only year the Dodgers are assured of having Betts. I’m not weighing the future prospect value of any players the Dodgers might get back in the trade with the Angels. And because I regard the dumping of Joc and Stripling’s salaries as a move necessitated because the Betts trade put them over the Tax threshold, I think of these 2 trades as actually 1 trade.
Clayton Russell
That’s a fair opinion. I’m not one of the Dodgers fans who is super thrilled about this trade and I liked all of those guys they gave up (aside from the one prospect in the Angels deal who I’d never heard of). But, they still have the potential to be a better team in 2020 than they were in 2019.
Price for Maeda is basically a wash. Stripling would have been in the list for the 4 or 5 spot which now looks like 2 of May/Gonsolin/Urias/Nelson/Santana/Wood. He may have won a starting job but more likely would have been a reliever most of the year.
And Verdugo is probably better than Pollock in 2020, but it’s not a sure thing and both are injury risks. They still have Peters/Garlick/Taylor/Hernandez/Beaty who can all play OF if Pollock struggles.
And most importantly, they kept all of the prospects so if they want to make a trade anytime between now and 7-31, they can upgrade even further.
Diggydugler
They are only paying half of price contract so it is actually not bad and he is better than Maeda, especially when he moves from joke AL East ballparks to the NL. Depends how high you are on Verdugo but they didnt give up that much. (Not a dodger fan at all).
Bosox2013
As a Red Sox fan, I’m a bit surprised by all the “they’ll sign Betts in free agency”, that’s nonsense. Betts has played his last game in A Red Sox uniform. His unwillingness to talk extension and repeated remarks regarding his desire to “test free agency” all point to him not wanting to play in Boston. Maybe it is all about money but if it’s true the Red Sox offered somewhere in the ballpark of 10 years/300 million and he was still unwilling to talk…. that kinda tells you all you need to know.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
I agree he’s done in Boston. It will be interesting to see where he goes and what he prioritizes.
Diggydugler
He will get more than 10/300 so smart by him. Probably wont end well for the team, but it usually doesnt.
SG
Well maybe so?
Maybe Betts hated Boston?
We may never know?
But let’s just assume he does hate Boston.
If that’s the case and you’re right then it’s a good deal for everyone.
Be interesting to see who pays him Mike Trout money?
Cooperdooper7
Bosox2013… So how come when Jim Rice was interviewed this morning on MLB Network Radio that he said when he spoke to Betts yesterday before the trade occured Betts said and I qoute “This is my home and I want to stay here”, and then “but Iunderstand the business aspect as well”. Sounds like this is exactly like what he has been saying all along… he just wanted to get a chance at Free Agency. Well Mookie….. this one on you!
If he meant what he said, maybe he resigns after this one year (that is if the Red Sox want to go down that path…. or for the Dodgers hope— if they choose, they get a year to sway him to stay with them.
texguy
I don’t think the Dodgers are done. I just don’t see them giving up 2 quality starting pitchers (Maeda, Stripling) without something else in the works. Wonder if they are still working on the Lindor/Clevinger deal?
solaris602
I think you’re right. This winter they’ve lost Ryu, Hill, Maeda, and Stripling while adding Price, Alex Wood, and Jimmy Nelson. I wouldn’t feel confident in that trade off if I was Friedman. They clearly need one more solid SP.
Clayton Russell
That’s fair, but you could also look at it as them having gone from:
Buehler/Kershaw/Ryu/Maeda/Hill
/Stripling/May/Gonsolin/Urias/Santana/Ferguson/Sadler
to
Buehler/Kershaw/Price/May/Gonsolin/Wood/Nelson
/Ferguson/Santana
They were way overloaded with starters to the point that 2 guys who should be starters, Stripling and Maeda, were constantly being used in relief. I’ll miss those guys, but at the same time I also felt bad for them that they never got a chance to be full time starters. Now they’ll have that chance, so good for them. Hill was good for his 13 starts but probably won’t throw much more than that this year either. The big loss is Ryu, really and it stinks losing him, but the blue jays were crazy to give him that contract.
E munchy
I don’t see the Twins incentive in all of this.
TheWay11
They acquire a proven SP who is controllable for a few years.
tigerdoc616
I gave the Red Sox an A for this trade….simply because it accomplished what they wanted., which was salary relief. They get a young controllable player and shed enough payroll to get under the CBT threshold. That was their goal. Did it make them better this year? NO. Will it help them in the future? Maybe, if Verdugo is as good as advertised. Will it allow them to spend in the future if they feel the need? Yes, if they are willing to do so.
ForestCobraAL
This is the 2nd bailout of the Red Sox by the Dodgers.
Giving the Red Sox an A is like a professor giving a student an A when he knows he cheated on the test.
What does Mark Walter owe John Henry and when will the debt be paid off?
ray win
If Dodgers win the World Series, I give them an A. Otherwise they wasted Verdugo and Maeda because they probably would have won the N L. Anyway without Betts. The Red Sox were not going to win the American League with or without Betts, and I don’t think he wanted to sign with Boston. If he did, he would gave taken 10/ &300,000,000. So I give Boston a B for dumping Price’s salary and attitude and getting two good young prospects. I credit the Twins for putting together s team that can challenge right now.
jorge78
Man, the Twins came away like bandits!
SG
What a fantastic deal for all parties.
Very happy to see Price gone due to his under performance and poor attitude.
Very happy to see Mookie gone due to his overvalued opinion of himself.
Verdugo is a very good player.
Graterol has potential.
Maeda helps Minn.
Betts and Price help LAD.
Mookie can still test FA after 2020.
LAD can still issue a QO and get a draft pick.
Price will have a change of scenery.
All around great move for all parties concerned.
I’m ecstatic the way this all worked out.
Was exactly what I was hoping for.
Lovinmlb
A. For Dodgers. They got Betts and Price and all they have up was a average pitcher and average hitter. I am a quality over quantity guy. Years of control is nice but they have better players in their system. They need to win at some point and this trade is a amazing boost to their fans. And with the comp pick they could get a player as good as Verdugo.
C. For Boston. They should of never signed Price. Never should of extended Sale. Never should of tendered Bradley. Never should of resigned Eovaldi. Would of been able to make one more run with Betts. They were hell bent on getting under the tax and they achieved that. If the pitcher they received ends up being a starter then they killed it. Verdugo to me is just a average starting outfielder. I don’t see them contending this year so I would rather had higher upside further away players.
B. For Twins. They got a for sure #3 starter for a great prospect that scouts say is not a starter. So if that is true they get a A. If he is a stud then trade is a C at best. This trade shows how good or bad your front office is.
Rosstradamus
Could this possibly be a Win-Win-WIN Trade for ALL 3 teams involved? I think it’s got a good shot if these prospects end up being really good, won’t know for a while, but I LOVE this kind of trade…YES!
LAD-Probably an A(even tho I like Verdugo), as I think this almost certainly punches their card to the world series this season(probably vs Yanks now too) as they upgraded 2 spots IMO for at least this season! Bad for the wallet, but money’s no object for them, so why would it be for me…LOL
BOST-Gave em a B, It was no secret they were trying to trim payroll(saved like 75mil) and they got a real good young controllable OF in Verdugo(former Dodgers #1 prospect) and a super-duper live arm, who at no worse can be a dominant reliever(but to get max value imo, should be in the rotation)
MINN-Gave em a C for now, but all depends on that live young arm, if he fizzles and/or is relegated to the pen, this grade gets better, if he becomes the next Pedro, it’ll go down(way down…lol) But Twins window is right now, so the gamble makes sense!
I love when trades work out for all teams(or at least my teams…ha ha ha) so I’m rooting for this to be one of those rare win-win-WIN trades!
Danieley3
Dodgers fan here, but here’s my unbiased opinion as a fan of good baseball, in regards to ONLY the players swapping jerseys from LA to BOS & BOS to LA:
Dodgers get an A Grade. Moving Verdugo hurts, Kenta as well, but whenever the return is a Top 3 position player with five tools, championship experience, a true love for the game and probably the most marketability of any player in the League, it’s a HUGE win (even for one year, although the Dodgers will be right there to resign him). Betts aside, getting David Price as a “throw in”, while having the Red Sox pay for half of his remaining contract is HUGE for the Dodgers. Going from the AL to the NL is a bump in his value, but he’s also going from the AL East and those Little League ballparks that the Yankees & Rays, even Blue Jays, tee off in. The NL West not only has weak opposition, but LA, SF & SD are a few of the friendliest pitcher parks in the game. A healthy David Price is probably the BEST #3 pitcher in baseball, with an extremely high ceiling. In addition, Price is known as a great teammate, has a ton of playoff and championship experience (domination) under his belt and will acclimate to LA overnight based on his personality & the way he goes about things… TWO fantastic gets by Friedman & Co.
Red Sox get an A-/B+ Grade. Sure, it can be tough to understand a grade as such when you trade away the 2nd best all-around player in baseball, but they accomplished everything they’ve been wanting to, while bringing in a stud & potential star in Alex Verdugo, along with one of the most explosive young bullpen arms in the game. I do question why Boston became so obsessed with shedding salary when they’re one of a handful of teams that almost print money based on their popularity. I do understand how killer the Luxury Tax is, but even so, Mookie’s don’t come along very often… Having said this, as a Dodgers die-hard who’s been able to watch Verdugo annihilate the Minors before playing his way into an everyday OF spot in Los Angeles before going down with injury. Simply put, the kid “gets it”. He’s above average at everything on the field. For a young player, his plate discipline is very advanced; rarely strikes out & almost always squares up & hits the ball hard. He’s a great defender with a cannon arm. High end speed that can be coached into swiping 20+ bags a year… If I were to play critic, elite home run power is the only thing he lacks, as was not only exposed in his first full Major League season, but throughout his Minor League career. That said, as a lefty going to the AL East, there’s no better place for him to build that part of his game. To finish on Verdugo, his personality is amazing & infectious. He was beloved by EVERYONE on the Dodgers, always smiling, laughing, playing pranks and having one of a kind style. He’s also quite marketable and the stage of Fenway Park is something he will not be affected by. He’s a gamer with star potential.
BlueSkies_LA
FYI. The park factors at Dodger Stadium are closer to neutral than you might expect. It hasn’t been a true “pitcher’s park” since the foul territories were reduced and that was something like 15 years ago (yet the reputation remains). San Francisco has been a good place to pitch but they are making changes that will lead to it being more neutral. The NLW also features two of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. Given a choice probably no pitcher would like to see the inside of Coors Field. Chase isn’t a whole lot better. Any pitcher who comes to this division hoping to resurrect a career is probably going to be disappointed.
SalaryCapMyth
The Red Sox made out like bandits. Getting Verdugo, a previous top 30 prospect who is already showing he will hit in the majors, another top 50 pitching prospect and still managed to clear a total of $75 million from the books.
I think the Dodgers are getting desperate. Can anyone think of a richer trade package for a one year rental? I think the next most lopsided trade was Chapman for Torres.
The Human Rain Delay
Dodgers played this wonderfully using cash as the leverage unlike 2012 when presumably, they got drugged, and just flat fell under the table-
They had the top of the hill the whole way and this time they used it-
Absolutely amazing they only lose 1 prospect in Verdugo in getting Mookie and Price @ 3/48-
This was an A+ and those are hard to get
I have no problem with the Twins playing the calendar game, they are a better team 2020 and 2021 at least today the wnat they are tommorow-
Theres some serious over compensation for prospect love in here=-
I bet from Minnys eyes they view Maeda as a guy thats a 5 mill surplus value /per yr contract …….. roughly the same as the view they went outside the box for donny so it gets back to a wash on the ledger- This is a team that runs an air- tight ledger . Im almost certain that loomed large here- Maedas contract is very unique and almost all upside
You tell me what you want Donny and Maeda or Graterol and dreams
Minny B+
Bos- I think they should have gotten more; I think if they were going to pay Price down to 3/48 they coulda sold him solo and made a lot more in grand scheme with a Mookie solo trade as well on the side-
Hell there was probably a scenario you could have gotten under the tax with just losing JBJ/Price this year and not signing Perez/Moreland/Pereza and going with Pawtuckett instead-
Saying all that if Verdugo becomes a steady healthy 3-5 War player for the duration of the contract its not all grey skies here-
They rest, they get out of Price who they didnt want –
Bos C- …… I just think they shoulda gotten a couple other smaller guys from Lad as well ….like a Cartaya at least
Dexxter
This is a great trade for the Red Sox.
Prices contract is still likely underwater at $48 million. Getting two very solid young players for one year of Betts and getting from under half of Prices contract is a great deal.
No way they could ever keep Betts, Bogaerts, Benintendi and Devers as they hit free agency. Tough decision but I think they did well.
Vin Scully
Dodgers A. Red Sox B. Twins C.
Nevrfolow
Starting to think all those ridiculous Trout trade ideas fans come up with could work.
nbgiant25
Based on what? There’s no Trout-level talent involved here… because Trout isn’t involved. He’s on a different level of analysis entirely.
Longboarder
I like Verdugo a lot. For me one year of Betts isn’t worth giving him up. Now how will the Dodgers find a way to lose this year?
Twins get a A for Maeda. Red Sox get an A for Verdugo. Dodgers get an A if they finally win the big one, but don’t hold your breath.
Longboarder
I like Verdugo a lot. For me one year of Betts isn’t worth giving him up. Now how will the Dodgers find a way to lose this year?
Twins get a A for Maeda. Red Sox get an A for Verdugo. Dodgers get an A if they finally win the big one, but don’t hold your breath.
solaris602
The wildcard in this trade is Price. What is David Price circa 2020 going to look like? Nobody knows. If healthy he can be serviceable in the rotation or the bullpen. He’s never gonna be vintage Price again, but he did shine in the 2018 post season, so anything is possible. He will get run support, that’s for sure.
laswagn
I found about 4k Dodgers haters on the poll. How could anybody grade it an A or C? lol
stansfield123
I think it was a good deal for everyone involved. I’ll give the Dodgers a B, because they massively overpaid even though they had a good outfield, so they didn’t need Betts all that badly. but the Sox and Twins get As.
James1955
If the Dodgers want to win a World Championship, don’t let Kershaw pitch in the playoffs.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
I think in the long run Red Sox will win this trade. They got a younger outfielder with 5 years of control. Betts is getting 27mil this year and well over 30mil for the next 8-10 years. If Alex Verdugo pans out and becomes a superstar Red Sox will have got away with highway robbery.
Still a great trade for the Dodgers. Price needs to get back to his Rays days which I dont see happening.
reflect
How can we grade it without knowing the amount of money the Red Sox sent to LA?
mr. g
It says the Dodgers got Price for $48M through 2022. That’s about half of the 90M or so he was owed. So BOS is paying half.
Mikel Grady
Grade if it wasn’t yankees or dodgers
Dodgers and Yankees fans D
Rate since it was dodgers
Dodgers fans A
Mike Weinand
I’m gonna give the Twins a B on this one. Everybody bitched and moaned that we didn’t do more for our starting rotation. Kenta Maeda seems like a decent mid-rotation guy. That gives them a lot more flexibility to try different guys in that 5th slot and make us too vulnerable for the first few months. Pineda will be back in mid-May and Hill will likely be ready by June, which could mean we have a surplus of MLB quality starters leading up to the trade deadline.
As exciting as Graterol’s potential is, it’s very unlikely he would have started the season in the majors. He has only pitched 12 games at AA, 4 at AAA, and 2 in the bigs. He isn’t ready to bust out yet, and the rest of the Twins team is ready to win now.
Yeah, the idea of having a 100+ mph flamethrower is exciting, but it’s far more likely his career would look more like Joel Zumaya than Nolan Ryan.
I gotta give bonus point to the twins too for assisting in getting Mookie Betts and David Price out of the American League.
PoppyGetsSloppy
Dodgers get an A+
The amateurs over in Boston? A D+
Boston gets a young, arrogant, balky-back Verdugo and nothing more
LA gets Mike Trout East, a pitcher who will decimate the NL, and didn’t even have to give up theirs blue chip rooks
redsox18
“The amateurs in Boston” have 4 championships and made a similar deal with the Dodgers back in 2012 and won 2 championships since then vs the Dodgers zero.
nbgiant25
Dodgers get one year of a great talent (not Trout-level, because you may or may not get it), Sox clear loads of salary AND get Verdugo and a highly-rated pitching prospect. We’ll go ahead and reverse those scores. The Dodgers didn’t get any better than they were last week, but they lost depth and control…
mookiesboy
A for the Sox
A for the Dodgers
Based on their resources and situation
Under the Cap and land Verdugo and a top prospect??? Well done Sox
Land Betts and not give up Lux. Wow
LaFlamaBlanca
Haha Dodgers trade is a C+ or B-. The Angel trade should be involved because that is also another reason how Dodgers are able to take on betts and price. Dodgers are giving up 5 years of Verdugo, 3 years of Stripling, 4 years of maeda for 12 mill, and Pederson could have been flipped for a better prospect at the deadline or offered a QO and received a draft pick. Betts is gonna sign a crazy free agaent contract and Price will eventually be an expensive IL player.
PoppyGetsSloppy
“Haha”
The only correct thing about your commentary
Scrap1ron
A for Dodgers. Betts might be a 1 year rental, but the Dodgers didn’t give up either of their 2 best prospects, Lux and May. Verdugo they can replace. They’re going for a Championship, kudos to them.
C for Red Sox. They are handicapped with the long term contracts for Sale and Evoldi who both have injury issues and an ownership that wants to pump the brakes on that luxury tax. They got what they could and had no leverage to get a better deal.
B for Twins. They needed pitching and after missing out on the top free agents Maeda definitely improves the staff.
AdleyMVP2022
I gave the Red Sox an A for this. Mookie said he wasn’t going to resign and that he wanted to test FA, the Sox turned 1 year of him into two young, controllable players that have been ranked inside the top 55 prospects in baseball. Good job by Bloom, and this is coming from an Orioles fan.
Rallyshirt
I graded LAD: B BOS: B MIN: D
As spectacular a Mookie Betts get is, he’s a one year rental which cost a rotation/reliever piece and a top controllable player. And they had to drop another established outfielder to afford it. Helped Boston off the hook. Flash move maybe pushes them over but then what?
Boston gets a nice haul of players for their young team, ditches an albatross in Price but had to pay considerably. A getting younger move rather than a rebuild feel, which is always good. But Bloom might have just brought in some health risks, so I can’t grade them an A because it’s a gamble.
Minnesota’s part in this is a facilitation to Boston as well. Maeda projects as relief in his later years. It’s not a bargain if he starts regularly. I don’t think Maeda translates well to AL. So they gave a hot prospect for a 31 year old reliever to save money and he probably won’t be happy about that. I wouldn’t be. They are not breaking crazy HR records like last season, to think that is repeatable is nonsense. They need pitching and they didn’t really get it, unless you’re playing the “we have a bunch of okay starters” for a win-now strategy?
JoeBrady
So they gave a hot prospect for a 31 year old reliever
————————————————–
Maeda is a starter. If theRS were slightly more competitive this year, I’d have preferred Maeda.
Rallyshirt
I’m not buying the narrative that LAD tried to avoid paying Maeda by moving him to the bullpen to cut his innings incentives. It’s not like it’s a ton of money if he reaches his goals.
So this begs the question, maybe they moved him to the bullpen because he’s not that great of a starter anymore? Or maybe he didn’t want to start? The stats here are elusive. I don’t know if he improved his starting status numbers by coming in relief later in the season.
So who do the Twins get? A once good starter, now likely a 4, with bullpen time under his belt. A contract which doesn’t even whisper confidence, now traded, I’m thinking he’s unhappy and getting older. But you can keep saying how good he is, I’m just not seeing it.
JoeBrady
I’d say he is still a solid #3 at this point. His ERA+ was 102, solidly #3, as our his 26 GS. Also, it is worth noting that I am a RS fan. For some teams, he might easily be a #4 or #5. For the RS, we have 2-3 really good pitchers. But no depth, no #5 option other than a BP day.
If we got Maeda bc the RS pass on Gaterol, I would not be at all disappointed.
Cooperdooper7
Jim Rice on talking with Mookie Betts yesterday…..I talked to him last night and he said, ‘I’m going to tell you what I told you before: I wanted to stay. But it was a business deal.’ And he said, ‘I can’t do anything about it. It was a business deal, and they chose to go that way and I have to accept it.”
Rice also said Betts had told him in the past he considers Boston “home,” and that he “(doesn’t) care what people have said or what they’re talking about.”
So for all you know it alls that kept stating … Mookie hates Boston and wants out…. as I stated all along numerous times… this was not the case.
adamsessler
LAD: A.. LAD gave up Verdugo, who is going to be a solid-to-very good player & Kenta, who is middle-to-back of the rotation SP, to get an MVP-caliber OF & Price. Even if they lose Betts in free agency after the yr., 1-yr. of Betts makes LAD WS favorites. Price is coming off the worst yr. of his career, but his 2019 numbers are a bit misleading. He was pitching like an All-Star thru mid-July. Then he started having arm problems & his performance suffered. He had 1 horrendous outing on Aug. 4,, which was his last start before he went on the DL, that blew his ERA up over 4.00. His arm problems are reportedly behind him. If so, he could be in for a decent bounce-back yr. Even if he’s just a middle-to-back of the rotation SP going fwd, w/ the Sox picking up 1/2 of his contract, he’d only be mildly overpriced…
BOS: B. BOS won the WS in 2018, & they are now paying the price for that WS w/ the big contracts they had on their payroll. Before the trade, BOS owed about $120M to just 5 players each yr. thru 2022, not including Betts, & only 1 of those players is presently under 30. They NEEDED badly to shed salary & get younger. BOS was able to unload their worst contract & get 2 top tier prospects.
MIN: D. MIN is in win-now mode, & lost Perez & Gibson from last yr’s rotation, but while both guys ate innings, they were arguably MIN’s 2 worst SPs… They signed Rich Hill, but given his injury history, he is hardly reliable. SP was a need, but they traded away their highest rated pitching prospect for a 32 yr. old who is, as mentioned, a mid-to-back end SP. At the same time this trade was going down, the Dodgers basically gave away Ross Stripling & Joc Pederson to the Angels for a lower-tier prospect. Between what the Angels got & what MIN got in their respective trades, I’d rather have the Angels’ package, esp. b/c it came at a much lower cost.
nbgiant25
How does this trade make LAD WS favorites? By taking their offense from best in the NL to extra most bestest in the NL?
LAD did nothing with this that changes their outlook. They need pitching. And if we’re being honest, a new manager.
Begamin
lol who gave the Red Sox an A?
Anyway,
Dodgers: A, since all they are really losing is money, but nothing that actually bothers LAD ownership
RS: D, almost gave them a C because they dumped Price and Mookie was probably gonna test FA anyway. But now they might have a reduced chance to resign him, he was always gonna test FA unless the Red Sox completely caved, but a year away from the team can change your opinion about how much you value being on said team.
Twins: D, Maeda aint that good. They shouldve just signed a pitcher when FA started instead of giving up one of their top pitching prospects to get a pitcher worse than they couldve just signed.
MikeEmbletonSmellsBad
How does this give them a reduced chance to sign him? If the Red Sox offer him the most money a year from now there’s no way he goes elsewhere.
And if they don’t, it’s not self-evident that he would have given them any kind of discount in the first place.
Begamin
If he enjoys being with LAD more than BOS then it would mean he values playing for LAD more than BOS come contract time. He also can simply become less emotionally attached to playing for BOS after a year away from it. Anyways, i said they MIGHT have a reduced chance to sign him, not that they for sure do. There are just too few of moments where a guy gets traded and then immediately signs back with the team that traded him. The most recent and prominent example that comes to my mind is A. Chapman and the Yankees, maybe you can come up with more examples but I think the point stands. Its pretty rare
MikeEmbletonSmellsBad
“If he enjoys being with LAD more than BOS then it would mean he values playing for LAD more than BOS come contract time.”
Or he could prefer Boston more than LA. Especially considering Boston is the team that drafted him and he spent way more time there and won a championship there. Plus, based on what he’s said publicly it sounds like Betts is all about the money. If Boston makes a competitive offer there is no reason why they would be at a disadvantage compared to any other team in signing him.
“There are just too few of moments where a guy gets traded and then immediately signs back with the team that traded him.”
That’s because the team either isn’t interested in bringing the player back (like the Orioles with Andrew Cashner) or they get outbid (like the Red Sox with Jon Lester), not because the player is punishing the team for trading him. I’ll bet you can’t name one example of a player being traded during or right before his contract year and then his original team offering him the most money and he takes a paycut to go elsewhere.
“The most recent and prominent example that comes to my mind is A. Chapman and the Yankees, maybe you can come up with more examples but I think the point stands. Its pretty rare”
It happens at least once every offseason. Most recently with the Dodgers and Alex Wood.
Bottom line, if the Red Sox are serious about bringing him back, it will happen.
JoeBrady
But now they might have a reduced chance to resign him,
—————————————————–
Probably not, since they won’t have to worry about the payroll cap tax. I’m not interested in anything past 7 years anyway.
MikeEmbletonSmellsBad
Betts is assuredly going to get more than 7 years. If Chaim Bloom feels the way you do then Mookie is not re-signing with the Red Sox. But of course, that would still be the case even if they hadn’t traded him.
JoeBrady
Yup, pretty much my point, and why is was smart to trade him. About half the sportswriters have this completely a$$ backwards. They are talking about why trading a generational player is so bad. But only two things can happen.
1-Betts will re-sign. In which case, we have 15 of Betts’ 16 years, and missing one year means nothing to his RS legacy.
2-Betts signs with someone else. In which case, we are far better off cashing in on his value.
Edenwald21
I was hoping the Padres got him just to make baseball west division more interesting. Or the mets to revive the competition in NY. I dotn like when great teams get better
pullhitter445
Dodgers A: getting a consensus top 3 MLB player is always a win. U don’t trade guys like Betts.
Red Sox’s F: a big market team failing to pay arguably the second most valuable player in the entire league is flat out stupid.
Twins B: more pitching is never a bad thing and maeda has been effective. They gave up a hard throwing minor leaguer who has serious health issues.
Deleted Userrr
Will you be singing the same tune next year if the Red Sox bring Mookie back as a FA?
JoeBrady
That’s the whole thing. If he re-signs, then in 2021, we have Verdugo, Graterol & Betts, instead of just Betts.
If we don’t re-sign him, because some someone offers him Trout money, then we have Verdugo & Graterol instead of no one.
nbgiant25
Meh. Betts is probably consensus top 5, but I’m not so sure that he’s on everyone’s top 3 list, even if you narrow it to just position players.
Trout is clearly a consensus number 1,
Bellinger, Lindor, Rendon, Bregman, Yelich, Betts are all in the 2-3 mix.