The trade rumblings surrounding Mookie Betts are presumably nearing their peak. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported last night that resolution on trade talks regarding him could come within the next few days. Ken Rosenthal offered a similar sentiment on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show this morning (Twitter link, with video), plainly stating that a Betts trade “is going to happen.”
At this point, the race to acquire Betts is widely reported to be between a pair of NL West rivals: the Dodgers and the Padres. The former, of course, is a perennial division champ hoping that Betts could be the piece to finally push them across the finish line in the World Series after two near-misses in three years. The latter would simply hope Betts could propel them into postseason play at all. San Diego has yet to experience a playoff game under general manager A.J. Preller, who was hired more than five years ago.
As with most high-profile trade scenarios, there are multiple layers to consider. Both the Padres and Dodgers have excellent farm systems and controllable, MLB-ready talent to pitch to new Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and his staff. Betts would push the Padres into franchise-record payroll territory but wouldn’t bring them to the luxury tax threshold. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have spent far more than this before but would be in luxury territory with Betts on board.
The financial components don’t stop there. San Diego has reportedly sought to unload part of Wil Myers’ contract (three years, $61MM remaining) on the Red Sox in their talks. Boston has been trying to push some of David Price’s remaining deal (three years, $96MM) on both clubs; USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets this morning that the Dodgers are still trying to get the Sox to take on a larger portion of Price’s contract.
The emergence of an unexpected suitor — who doesn’t love a good mystery team?! — would make things more interesting and remains possible as long as Betts is still under Red Sox control.
It’s only been 10 days since MLBTR readers weighed in on whether a Betts trade would happen at all, with nearly 69 percent of participants voting that the 2018 AL MVP would open the 2020 season in Boston. Just over a week later, there’s a decidedly different feel around the Betts situation, so let’s open this up one final time (link to poll for Trade Rumors mobile app users)…
Idk about 2020 but 2021 he will be playing in Queens New York
All that money coming off the books. Perfect time to make a huge splash like this.
Stanton and Cole will have a say
Stanton and Cole are the reason why these long term deals will stop. These 10 yr deals never favor the teams we cherish. In fact I can only think of one 7 yr deal that is worth every penny. Max Scherzer. The rest always falter into nightmares. Manny Ramirez was prosperous but its Manny. Cole and Stanton may want Betts in the Beinx but Cashman will have his own issues trying to keep more than 1 if Judge Sanchez Servino Torres Andujar with 70% of the CBT already going to 2 players. A 10/420 for Betts and 3 players eat up almost 90% of the CBT. Pay Judge and Servino and you will need tofiekd a 25 man roster plus the rest if the 40 with 80-90 million. It’s impossible to have any flexibility. If Stantin keeps up with injuries along with Sanchez 60 games out even 8/200 will be crippling. Look at Biston with Xander Price and Sale. Its hard to keep Betts and guys like Brock Porcello Lron are casualties while the BP suffers hoping young guns can pick up the slack.
Stanton and Cole are the reason why these long term deals will stop. These 10 yr deals never favor the teams we cherish. In fact I can only think of one 7 yr deal that is worth every penny. Max Scherzer. The rest always falter into nightmares. Manny Ramirez was prosperous but its Manny. Cole and Stanton may want Betts in the Beinx but Cashman will have his own issues trying to keep more than 1 if Judge Sanchez Servino Torres Andujar with 70% of the CBT already going to 2 players. A 10/420 for Betts and 3 players eat up almost 90% of the CBT. Pay Judge and Servino and you will need tofiekd a 25 man roster plus the rest if the 40 with 80-90 million. It’s impossible to have any flexibility. If Stantin keeps up with injuries along with Sanchez 60 games out even 8/200 will be crippling. Look at Biston with Xander Price and Sale. Its hard to keep Betts and guys like Brock Porcello Lron are casualties while the BP suffers hoping young guns can pick up the slack.
Stanton and Cole are the reason why these long term deals will stop. These 10 yr deals never favor the teams we cherish. In fact I can only think of one 7 yr deal that is worth every penny. Max Scherzer. The rest always falter into nightmares. Manny Ramirez was prosperous but its Manny. Cole and Stanton may want Betts in the Beinx but Cashman will have his own issues trying to keep more than 1 if Judge Sanchez Servino Torres Andujar with 70% of the CBT already going to 2 players. A 10/420 for Betts and 3 players eat up almost 90% of the CBT. Pay Judge and Servino and you will need tofiekd a 25 man roster plus the rest if the 40 with 80-90 million. It’s impossible to have any flexibility. If Stantin keeps up with injuries along with Sanchez 60 games out even 8/200 will be crippling. Look at Biston with Xander Price and Sale. Its hard to keep Betts and guys like Brock Porcello Lron are casualties while the BP suffers hoping young guns can pick up the slack.
That’s not going to happen Soxski.
Players at the top are ultra valuable in the short term. There’s no reason they’d give up that leverage and sign shorter deals. Someone is always going to pay. Someone is always looking to win at all costs.
Matt Holiday’s contract was worth every penny for the cardinals…seven years 120 mil
Stanton and Cole are the reason why these long term deals will stop. These 10 yr deals never favor the teams we cherish. In fact I can only think of one 7 yr deal that is worth every penny. Max Scherzer. The rest always falter into nightmares. Manny Ramirez was prosperous but its Manny. Cole and Stanton may want Betts in the Beinx but Cashman will have his own issues trying to keep more than 1 if Judge Sanchez Servino Torres Andujar with 70% of the CBT already going to 2 players. A 10/420 for Betts and 3 players eat up almost 90% of the CBT. Pay Judge and Servino and you will need tofiekd a 25 man roster plus the rest if the 40 with 80-90 million. It’s impossible to have any flexibility. If Stantin keeps up with injuries along with Sanchez 60 games out even 8/200 will be crippling. Look at Biston with Xander Price and Sale. Its hard to keep Betts and guys like Brock Porcello Lron are casualties while the BP suffers hoping young guns can pick up the slack.
The Scherzer Deal isn’t a “7-year deal”.
It was a 7-year playing contract that will pay out $105 Million AFTER Max is a FA……over an Additional 7 years ($15 mil/yr)
It’s likely to somewhat handcuff the Nationals from 2022-2028.
Aroids first contract lived up to the hype
Roids or not
Pujols first deal, Maddux ended up with 10 yrs in ATL avg. 4.6 WAR a year, Scherzer, Matt Holliday’s deal worked out great, Bonds worked out great..
Players will continue to get 7 & 8 years depending on age & elite status.
30 something players wont be getting 10 yr deals no more..
So long as teams are using $200M (or $226M) as a hard cap, there are only so many seats at the “I’m a star and am worth $35M per year for lots of years”. And if you do it, you better make sure it’s Mike Trout. Or Sidd Finch.
Absolutely
Of course, he will.
That narrows it down to every National League team and whichever division is playing the Mets in inter league that season. They will all be playing in Queens, NY in 2021.
And don’t forget the AL teams that may okay there for interleague
Yep, he’ll be playing CF. Judge will be in RF, Stanton in LF, Hicks in RCF and Gardner in LCF.
Only in a video game, Homer.
DakotaJoe
When did the Mets get the Yankees outfield?
Nice dream, if it does he’ll suddenly get injured and become a shell of hiMself. Mets are just unlucky.
Yup…just as Ellsbury’s deal comes off the books they will drop a $400M/10yr deal on Betts.
And he will be done by 2024..on a deal that expires in 2030…lol
Remember, speed dosen’t age well.
Saying “speed doesn’t age well” is a very reductive statement in regards to Mookie Betts’ future. Through age 26, Ellsbury had a 94 wRC+; Mookie is at 135. Even if you account for Ellsbury’s massive 2011, his career wRC+ was still just a 112 wRC+. Mookie wil also be younger than Ellsbury was when he got paid. I don’t care where he goes, but give the guy the respect he deserves
Thors…… Not a chance
He will play in LA and SD. Just a lot less games in one of them.
Smile.
SD always plays 2nd fiddle to LA, and it will be more of the same here
If the angry owner Ron Fowler would take Will Myers out of this and accept Betts salary for one year this deal would already be done.
Yeah but SD’s goal is just as much to unload Myers as it is to get Mookie. That’s why the Dodgers are in theory a better suitor because their deal would be more straightforward.
Padres getting Mookie as a rental helps make them viable in the WC race this year but he’s not like the last piece of their puzzle and even with him they probably can’t win their division. They need a long term reason to do this deal and dumping Myers is that reason, otherwise they’re just wasting prospects on a rental.
Why not dump Myers without getting Betts then?
Because that only achieves a long term goal of shedding Myers salary, not their short term goal of getting better this season.
Also pragmatically Boston can’t take Myers without giving back Mookie or Price or someone with a large contract otherwise they’re going to be way over the luxury tax threshold.
@CNichols that’s ridiculous. Losing Mookie in the trade makes it worse for Boston. Not better. They can always trade Mookie elsewhere if they trade for Myers
I’m genuinely confused by what you are proposing. It’s also a fact that Mookie’s $27M
coming off the books for Boston makes their luxury tax situation improve. Obviously it makes their team worse, but it indisputably improves their financial position.
Boston is about to be a 3 time offender on the luxury tax unless they get their payroll under $208 Million. If they can reset the penalty this year before going over the threshold again in 2021 it could save them like 90-100M in penalties. Why on earth would they add Myers and his ~14M AAV to their current payroll unless they are 100% removing Betts or Price from the payroll? Then instead of being ~25M over the threshold they’re now $40M over and digging themselves an even bigger hole.
Obviously losing Mookie makes their team worse, hence why SD needs to give them prospects to compensate Boston not only for the value of acquiring Mookie but also additional value for taking a portion of Myers crappy deal. The reason Myers makes sense for Boston is his luxury tax hit is less than the amount he’s actually owed and also SD will have to give them additional talent to dump him.
I know that getting Betts means the Padres have to part with more/better prospects. That’s why I said they should trade Myers to Boston without taking Betts. That way Boston doesn’t get as good prospects and takes more of the Myers contract. Then they can go ahead and trade Betts elsewhere.
You’re such a fool. You call others ridiculous, then nonchalantly imply Boston could trade the 20M a year Myers who is below average in both sides of the ball, if they wanted to. Duh
No, SD has been trying to get rid of Myers for years. There’s no flip market
@Commonsenseslapsyou I know there is no market for Myers. That’s why the Padres would have to attach prospects just to get rid of him. It’s not Myers the Red Sox want. It’s the prospects.
Now what I’m saying is that San Diego shouldn’t try to get Betts back in the deal because if they do that they’ll have to give more/better prospects or eat more of Myers’ contract.
Jim, what team would want him? Not Boston
@LoveThatDirtyH20 if that is the case why would Bloom even consider trading Betts for Myers?
Jim… SD is the team insisting on Myers being part of the Betts trade. If they keep insisting, they better offer a much better group of players than the Dodgers. Boston wants to reset the cap, not my words, but John Henrys words. Myers is a hindrance, not a help.
@LoveThatDirtyH20 if Boston wouldn’t want Myers as you say, they would immediately hang up when Preller tries to bring Myers up in talks for Betts.
Jim, they are discussing numerous SD prospects. Gore, Patino and Campusano are the names being floated. If the Pads include money to pay down Myers salary and a good prospect package, maybe it gets done. The word in Boston is the Dodgers get Mookie. Because of SD’s insistence on including Myers.
Everything I’ve heard is that Gore is off the table. In any event, trading Mookie doesn’t make trading for Myers make more sense. It makes it make less sense.
Jim I think we agree on Myers. He’s a square peg for Boston in a Mookie trade.
@jim, I mean, every report has Myers going to Boston as part of the deal. It’s pretty accepted, as much as rumors can be. They may not want him to feel like he’s necessary. Teams don’t get everything they want in negotiations, but you comment like they do. It’s called negotiations for a reason..
Gore isn’t being traded, @love
@Commonsenseslapsyou exactly. If Boston is willing to give up Betts for Myers they should have no problem giving up a 4-A reliever for Myers and keeping Betts (or trading him to someone else). The Red Sox do not see losing Betts as a good thing.
Clearly your magic world and reality are far different
Cause Boston about to trade him, and they must see it as a good thing or they wouldn’t do it
@Commonsenseslapsyou that doesn’t mean they see losing Betts as a good thing. If they did they would have non-tendered him. They’re trading him in order to add years of control to their roster and to try and duck the luxury tax. They still aren’t going to do it for nothing. Heck, if they truly just wanted to get rid of Betts he’d be gone by now. They already have quality offers on the table and yet they keep holding out trying to get the Dodgers or Padres to up their ante.
That is the stupidest thing you’ve said and you have some contenders
If a team thinks it can afford to lose a guy, they would non tender them. Hahahahaha. Um, no. You non tender if you can’t trade. You can easily decide you need to trade a guy this year to improve the long term outlook of the Franchise. It’s not hard even if you pretend it is
And that’s what a team does with a good player they decide they don’t need next year, they would try to trade them, like Boston is with Betts. Non tender or they love the guy. You must live on mars with that logic
You get more ridiculous the more you talk
And even then, maybe if SD would take back the entire contract of David Price for Myers, maybe the deal would get done. And it really wouldn’t be a bad move for SD, as they would be getting a 2.5 fWAR starter for a net cost of about $9mill per season. Try getting that on the free agent market.
I would consider Price for Myers.
Ketch, Boston would save 17-18M on the AAV in a Price for Myers trade. They may bite on that and be able to keep Betts.
The whole point of including Myers is to get rid of future monitary commitments. If they aren’t getting rid of future money they won’t do the trade. Besides, if Betts was all they wanted they would just do the trade without Myers or Price and save themselves that $9 million. If Price was on the Padres, he would be competing with 2 other guys for the #5 spot in the rotation. One is a younger clone of him anyways.
Forest you’re right. Myers is a DH. Boston has JDM for that slot. Sox have no use for Myers.
But it is nicer to live in SD
Preller always gets what he wants… Mookie / Price to the Padres..
Meyers and fungo bats & balls to Boston.
So he wanted all 4 renditions of the Padres he built to be bad…? If he gets what he wants… then is kinda all on him, eh?
You know, still below 500
In baseball, yes. In quality of life in paradise, no. LA always plays 2nd fiddle to AL WS champions. Ugly town, too.
in the MLB
I realize Mookie wants to test free agency, but if he’s anything like Cole and wants to be in NY or somewhere other than LA, may LA should focus on Bryant?
His prefrence is where the money is. He clearly dont care if that happens to be in LA, unlike Cole who wanted NYY no matter what
It’s good to know that you know more than the rest of us. Whew. I was getting nervous.
Hes 100% right
Lol David, that’s literally what Betts said. You just know less than the rest of us
He just turned down 300 million from the team that drafted him and he won a title with. What you said makes zero sense at all. What makes you think Mookie or Bryant wouldn’t want LA. Cole was going to be a Dodger if the Yankees didnt pony up.
He’d play in KC or Tampa or wherever as long as he got his $425M. Mastronodo had a good article saying Mookie is not a top 1 -2 player, but a top teen player. Therefore, he is no Mike Trout just greedy. Bye Bye Mookster (thanks for the beginning years) we don’t need you financially crippling the team in your dwindling years. Try getting that money on the PBA tour.
I think Mookie is worth a flat 400, and I think he is the 2nd best player in the game. Yelich has an incredible bat (I personally think he is the best Hitter in baseball), and Belli is terrific in his own manner, but I think defense and speed determine the rest.
Trout (god that overlooks the baseball realm)
Betts (five-tool)
Yelich (I know he isn’t good on defense, but he has speed)
Bellinger (just less speed, him and Yelich can be switched, but I chose this)
He’s not getting 425 mil.
Bellinger is very fast, I do like your list tho
Um you must really hate Atlanta. Acuna is better than all of them. Bellinger isn’t in any of their leagues after a BABIP fueled year. Acuna, Trout, Lindor, Yelich, Betts.
Belli is fast, but going by stolen bases, Yelich has 2x more. (30 to 15). I should’ve phrased it as baserunning and not just speed, but that’s what I meant.
I hope you are trolling, but I wanted to put Acuna as 5th, but I just decided not to put a 5th… And if Betts isn’t even in your top 5, well then you are just wrong. Lindor is the best ss in baseball, but not top 5 player, top ten though.
Speed, rarely, ages well.
10 years of Betts is a huge risk.. As a Red Sox fan…the older I get the more practical I am…
Trade Betts so you can package Price with him…
Move on and reset.
I get the rest, but who is Ed?
Ed is a horse, of course.
Mookie’s defense has been in a steady decline the last 4 years. If you said he was the 2nd best player over the last 5 years, I’d say it’s pretty hard to argue with that. He’s significantly behind Trout but also significantly ahead of anyone else over that time. However, I don’t think he’s 2nd anymore. His otherworldly defense of his youth seems to have come back to earth and his hitting, while great, isn’t good enough to make up for that. I’d put him around 6 or 7th for 2020 with the potential for further decline after that. If someone gives him 400 mill, they’re likely going to regret it pretty quickly.
That being said, he could prove me wrong and even if he doesn’t, whoever signs him will likely still get 3-4 elite seasons out of him and that may be worth it to some teams.
Right now, Betts is clearly the #2 player in BB. In the past 5 years, Trout is at 44.2 WAR, Betts at 35.4, and Bryant at 27.8. The difference between Betts and Bryant is as big as the difference between Bryant and the #23 guy.
I still think we should trade him, but for Mastronado to think that Betts and Bryant are equals defies all logic,
Rice was known as JimEd throughout his life and it continued, to a lesser extent, in Boston.
Rice was called JimEd.. by his teammates and regularly on RS broadcasts..
Sox shortstop…….. Mookie is digging for gold. Unfortunately the left the Sox no choice.
Bellinger is very fast—make outs quicker than anyone in the WS.
Nah those 3 pitch K’s were Machado
You know, like the ones you watched non stop last year!!
Well it wasn’t NY or nothing the Yankees outbid everyone end of story. You need to stop kidding yourself the Yankees made the highest bid that’s why Cole is a Yankee. If the Angels bid 10/350 guess what we would be hearing from the Yankees “ He wanted to be on the West Coast we tried but it just didn’t happen”. Cole is a Yankee for one and one reason only they outbid everyone else and by quite a bit. I would believe the he wanted to be a Yankee nonsense if he signed with them for less then he was offered somewhere else and that clearly didn’t happen. The Yankees wanted Cole and made it happen with a checkbook.
Multiple reports stated he wanted to be a Yankee.
Ok let’s see a link to these.
He grew up as a Yankee fan. He quickly dispelled rumors that he was pre-disposed to going to SoCal. He called landing in NYC a “dream come true.” Those are three data points.
Of course he did once he signed. The reality though is it was money that got thin to sign in New York. You guys can kid yourselves all you want the Yankees bid by far the highest and that’s why he is a Yankee. If the Angels would of outbid the Yankees he would of been an Angel talking about playing for his howetown team was a dream came true. I don’t think there is anything wrong with Cole going where he gets paid the most I just think it’s funny that NY fans think that he signed with NY for any other reason then they paid the most.
“Cole to sign”
Bruin1012, Cole went to the highest bidder. Dats it no matter how much NY fans want to think otherwise.
Mookie would play on Mars if it paid $40mill per year.
And you can figure that out… how? Exactly
Who cares where he plays. This has been dragged out for too long.
Trade him and get the Bryant trade over with so we can all move on.
Agreed. Just ask the suitors for their top and final offers, weigh them and determine if and whom to trade him to, and be done with this charade.
Agreed! Also, watch LA use this as a distraction and pull a trade for Bryant or Arenado instead leaving SD with another big contract.
That would be great!
Just let the rangers get Bryant pls…. I hope that is what Daniels has been waiting for this offseason…
I said 2 weeks ago this would happen (Price + Betts) to the Dodgers Tuesday after the Super Bowl and was laughed out of the building in here-
Now 50% agree…… strange ruthless crowd here
You… could… just… log… off….
Definitely the Pirates.
He’ll go to the Dodgers along with Price for May, Lux, Ruiz, Verdugo, Pederson, Gonsolin, Pollock, and Downs.
Do you want to throw in Buehler and Bellinger as well?
Absolutely.
Sox fan here. No way they get that. Period.
i think also adding Kershaw gets it done.
They should also throw in Lasorda, Hershiser, Valenzuela, and Koufax. Lol
What about Gibson
Don’t forget the team bus, and a lifetime supply of micheladas.
You forgot Koufax and Drysdale
For 1 year? Get real. I e made ridiculous trade proposals on here and I wouldn’t even go that far. 8 for 2 is not gonna happen.
Maybe the Dodgers should trade stadiums, too. I think Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson should be added to the Dodger side of the trade, as well.
You forgot to include Devers, Xander and Chris Sale on your trade proposal here…
Holy overpay Batman
He’ll go to the Dodgers along with Price for not May, not Lux, not Ruiz, Verdugo, not Pederson, not Gonsolin, not Pollock, and Downs and Ferguson. And the Sox eat 40mm of Price’s contract.
Please seek help.
Lololololol
Disappointed in Mookie’s refusal to sign an extension, though I fully understand that’s his right. Makes me appreciate guys like Xander Bogaerts.
Team will be built around X and Devers. Hopefully some of the new guys like Dalbec and Chavis can be part of that fun. Next up JBJ
So are you wanting to be a 4th place team for the next 5 years? X and Devers are fine complementary players, but they are not the type of players .you build a team around. Betts is.
You cant build a team around Betts if he wants over 30-40 million a year especially with the luxury tax situation where it is now. That leaves virtually nothing for any other decent proven players. Are you thinking you can build a good starting rotation off of guys only wanting about 5 million a year. Besides Sale (who has injury issues) the Sox have no other lights out pitchers bullpen included as of now. If Betts has to hit the DL for any extended period after giving him all the money and trying to stay under the luxury tax its pretty much season over.
If Devers develops more this year, he is absolutely someone you can build a team around. The kid is only 22-23 years old and is coming off of a MONSTER season. I’m just worried that losing Cora will set him back a bit as Devers loves Cora and credited him with helping to break through to the next level in 2019.
Devers is going to be better than Betts.
Don’t sleep on Barnes.
No, Betts is the type of player that you cant build a team around, because you end up weaker at every other position, because of how much he cost. Ask Mike Trout..
The Mike Trout example doesn’t fly. The Angels were awful when Trout was making minimum salary too. His salary is not what is holding them back.
they are not the type of players .you build a team around. Betts is.
=================================================================
Mr. Trout says hello, as do Mr. Harper, Machado, Stanton, Votto, Arenado, etc. Between those 6 players, 6 of the top players in BB, they have virtually no playoff success.
Ask owners who have bad GMs? LAA has spent the money, it’s just been badly spent
Devers is a better hitter than your boy Arenado. So yes, Boston can absolutely build around him and Xander.
Hopefully we can add Verdugo and Ruiz to the list of players to build around. I think people forget just how good Verdugo projects to be. He is no Mookie Betts but definitely has all star potential and can put up numbers similar to X-man provided he can stay healthy.
Verdugo, Ferguson, Downs (even though he will have to change his first name) and a lower level prospect is a great return and the Red Sox should grab it.
Any chance Julio Urias comes to Boston in such a Betts swap? Don’t hear his name in package offers.
Honestly, no. He’s too valuable to LA rotation. He’s the 3 guy this year, least to start
It depends on Boston’s motivation but that appears to be money and LA is the place they could dump Price. The talent return will be less, though.
As a dodger fan I’d rather not do it. I hate the one year rental. Wait til the trade deadline and see what you NEED. Injuries happen, things come up. Won the NL pennant 2x without him no need to give away a ton of future just for one season of Betts. Dodgers haven’t done much and fans are clamoring for a big move, but even with the last couple years coming up just short I don’t think they need him. Wait til the deadline!
As a Padres fan I’m praying Sox and Dodgers swing this trade I would rather concede one more year than cripple our teams future. But i gotta give you respect for making sense i hope it doesn’t play out that way
Cripple the team’s future? By trading Margot, Quantril, and maybe Campusano???? The Padres have too many prospects, half of which historically won’t turn into anything. The time to trade them is now, when you can get a good proven player in return. None of the trade pieces the Padres have talked about are vital to this team’s future success. They are not talking Paddack,Gore, Pitino, Trammel, Tatis, etc. Prospects need to be used to better your team through trades, not just on the actual Padres roster.
I like Camp I think he’s going to be special and with those names you mentioned, Price and his crippling salary will be included
why not trade them for someone who can be kept affordably for a few years.?
not a Dodger fan at all but I agree, they are already favorites in the division whats the point of selling the farm for a rental OF.
He puts the team over the top kinda like Cole does for the yanks.
I think its gonna be funny when the yankees either miss the playoffs or lose in the ALDS or ALCS Possibly in the world series the next 9 years. 4 more years of Torres and he’s leaving. Way too much money on the books. For them to spew out 300mil for him
Don’t think you have any idea about Yankees salaries.
To avoid losing again.
Am a Dodger fan. LA doesn’t have to sell the farm to get Betts, just a couple of prospects, probably something like Verdugo and Gonsolin, less if they take on Price’s salary. And being favorites in a weak division is not enough. The one year deal for an elite player is a perfect match for what LA needs. Dodgers owe it to their fans to be bold for once. A one year rental is a lot better than a 10-year rental.
Agree ! I also hate rentals .
Exactly. The Dodgers have a stacked team and farm system. Need will be determined by injury and/or under performance. Won’t know who that is until the season starts.
Yes because deadline Macado and deadline Darvish got us over the line
There’s no magic recipe. Stop pretending there is
I have a weird feeling SD is doing everything right now to get Betts, since if the Dodgers got him, it just wouldn’t be fair… Not guaranteed WS like some are saying, but just not fair. SD will do everything to get it done, and I think they will.
See your point, but I don’t get it. If I’m the Padres and have endured years of famine prior to finally stocking the farm, I’m not gambling any of that for a one year rental. I’d rather wait til my farm is ready and performing in MLB. Betts to the Padres for only in 2020 seems premature. Chapman (as an example, regardless of position) for 2022 doesn’t…
What if it is a salary dump of Myers?
SD needs to include Gore or Patino if they want to dump Myers on Boston. If any of the proposed Dodgers packages are true (Verdugo, Ruiz & pitcher), SD cannot match that offer with their demands to include Myers in the deal. Boston just resigned Moreland so it’s highly unlikely they are going to agree to bring Wil Myers in at this point regardless of the package. I guess they could still do it if the other pieces are right, but it just seems that the LAD are in the driver’s seat right now (if they are serious about adding Mookie).
Teams never wait till all their prospects are ready. SOME of the prospects will be vital parts of the team, then you use a good mix of the other prospects to bring in proven talent to surround them with. Sure, maybe a 1 year rental isn’t the best target, but you need to trade talent to get talent.
Umbrella post so pls bear with me:
@ Ranger – I think it’s pyrrhic from the Red Sox point of view to even be considering Myers. Betts WAR will cover his salary, Myers won’t cover his.. Boston won’t “pay” to get worse. I don’t think Myers is even in Boston’s equation.
@Dorothy – agreed. Myers is unflippable – with Moreland tied, there is little room for Myers. It makes absolutely no sense to give up one year of (say) 6WAR Mookie at $27m for three years of replacement level $39m Myers.
@Vermonster – given it is always a fluid situation, yeah, I agree, teams won’t wait until ALL of the prospects are ready. I just think this is particularly premature. Can understand the years of pain waiting for a contender but I’m loathe (as an A’s fan) to give up years of prospect control for a one year rental.
Just IMHO – but Vermonster – as a a Padres fan – what would you be willing to give up from your farm for one year of the Mookster?
Well, it depends. I am old school, don’t like all this WAR crap, prefer to judge base on the eye test. But, since most everyone uses it, I will say this. Vegas has the Padres over/under at 83 wins right now, without him, If he is a 6-7 WAR player, add roughly that amount of wins to the team, puts them at 89-90. Last year’s 2nd wild card was 89 wins. So, is it worth it to possibly make the playoffs? Absolutely, as long as its not too much. Wild card teams have won the Series before, and unless common sense eludes me, no team has ever won the Series without making the playoff….. 😉 Not to mention, does he raise the overall productivity of Tatis, Pham, Machado, et al……????
I’m not sure I’d be willing to give up much for a shot at a 1 game wc playoff, especially for a team that doesn’t really have a starter I’d feel comfortable matching up against another teams’ best starter in that game
LA
Tell both teams make your absolute best offer…. and if it does not include at least either teams second best prospect along with at least 1 Major league ready player and another prospect in their top 10… say thank you and we will talk at trade deadline.
Great strategy but that doesn’t solve the luxury tax issue unless there’s another deal to be made?
Neither team is offering any of their top 3 it sounds like
I propose you just stop reading this stuff and read a book. Much more pleasurable.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say right field. I don’t think the Red Sox trade him unless someone takes Price. They need a hard drop in payroll to justify the move. Otherwise, they try to win this year and go under next year. I know that’s not trade rumor worthy but it’s what I think.
Dodgers make most sense. They’re truly one piece away, they can eat Price’s contract and extend Mookie and they also have better mlb ready trade chips than SD to go along with great prospects also. San Diego only makes this trade out of desperation and over paying for a true rental that I doubt stays. Red Sox are actually in a good situation to leverage division rivals against each other into a bidding war, worst comes to worse we keep him and get draft compensation. If the Sox do trade him we re-stock the farm, rid Price’s contract and reset the tax possibly setting up for a Mookie reunion next year? Too optimistic? Maybe, but I can’t wait for this to just be a done deal.
The WORST possible outcome for Boston would be to hold onto Betts and get draft pick compensation at the end of the year. They will be three time ‘offenders’ of the luxury tax so their comp pick would drop to the 4th round. They absolutely have to get multiple prospects for Betts now (or by the All Star break at the latest) in order to get $0.50 on the dollar for him. Losing Betts to free agency for a 4th rounder would set this team back years. Unfortunately, both LA and SD are aware of this so this could be why this deal is taking so long to complete.
As bad as you tried to make that sound, keeping Betts makes us much more of a playoff threat which is still somewhat a priority. Staying in the luxury tax for the third year in a row doesn’t hurt our billion dollar team as much as it seems, a 4th round pick isn’t a prospect haul but it is something of value especially if we’re able to make a run at it this year with Betts still in the fold.
I hear you but I don’t think Boston has the horses to truly compete for the title this year. They would need all 3 of their health-questionable starters (Sale, Price, Eovaldi) to stay healthy and pitch like they did 2-3 years ago to even have a chance. While I’d love to see that happen, the probability of that happening is low if you ask me.
If the Sox think this is possible then it makes sense to hold onto Mookie for the first 2-3 months and if they fall out of the race, trade him at the deadline, but given how active they are in trade talks now, it seems like management has resigned to the fact that they do not have a true WS contender right now (as much as it pains me to say that).
I’m kind of surprised the Reds don’t pop up. I get they have a logjam at outfield, but when a guy like this comes along and you can swing Price into too it seems like a sure thing. Price can help the young guns on the team and both players immediately make this team a real contender even more so than Reds fans think. Senzel and Greene start negotiations? I’m reaching, but curious.
Reds have 4+ starters better than price already and have no way on taking another 30+ million in payroll. But at the beginning of offseason they were a good match as reds could trade out of surplus. No way senzel or Greene involved but something like winker, mahle, and Iglesias would have been more than enough while filling several holes in Boston. So clearly reds weren’t too interested in that route.
Betts alone won’t return any top tier prospect. Betts and price won’t return any prospect of any value. And Boston wants Mlb ready players anyway
Reds got Bauer coming off books next year and are trying to compete still so probably sided against loosing two of their best players at same time.
As a RS fan, I don’t think you’re reaching at all. The value is vry good, as is the fit. Senzel steps right in at 2nd, and Greene, before the TJS, was a top-tier prospect with a huge arm. In his last 11 games in A-ball, at age 18, he had a 2.63 ERA with a 63/13 K/W in 51.1 IPs. The RS would have to laser in on his medicals, but Greene could still be a huge talent.
Mookie betts and prize to the Dodgers for polluck , Ruiz , gray and pederson . Who says no ?
NO…. Absolutely NO
Dodgers say no.
Everyone says no
It doesn’t matter where he winds up this season. Betts will leave in free agency just like Machado did. The White Sox will be waiting.
Waiting to watch him walk to another team just like they did with Manny…… LOL
We’ll see. I don’t see many teams left who can afford Betts, and need a RFer. The Dodgers don’t do those kinds of contracts with position players. The Yankees, Red Sox, cvbs and Angels are tappex out or have no room. The Rangers and Mets might get involved, but I like our chances. We’re a WS contending ballclub with Betts in RF for years.
You’ll be waiting a long time there sox fan. How’d that machado thing turn out for you?!?
Moncada says hi.
I think it will be LAD as SD doesn’t want to give up Gore or Patino and Boston doesn’t really want Myers. If Boston would take Choo/Odor and perhaps two top prospects maybe Rangers would interested in taking Betts, Bradley, and Eovaldi. Then send Eovaldi Huff, Hearns and Tejeda to Cubs for Bryant. Then Betts to LAD for Pederson and Muncy. Complicated I know but gives all three teams something they need. LAD keep Lux, Verdugo and May and get Betts. Cubs get pitching upgrade and payroll relief and Boston gets payroll break and Young MLB pitcher in Allard or Palumbo a young OF prospect in Bubba Thompson. Texas fills holes at 1B (Muncy) CF (Bradley Jr)!and LF in Pederson + Solak or Santana covers 2B better than Odor and 3B covered with Bryant. Calhoun to DH. Likely not plausible but a fan can dream!!!
LOL— What the ****
Might as well throw Lindor in the mix too for Texas. Maybe they could give up Lance Lynn & Todd Frazier for him ;-).
In other words, this trade proposal is ludicrous and would never happen.
I understand you are trolling (but maaan if we got Muncy, Pederson, JBJ, and Bryant…. Daniels gets gm of the year….), but I just hope we get Bryant.
Maybe Palumbo, Jason Bahr, Taveras, and Taylor Hearns for Bryant? I think that would be a good return.
I think that is reasonable as well. Do wish we could unload Odor/Choo somewhere. I really would prefer Solak at 2B and Santana in LF with Calhoun at DH. Perhaps Toronto would consider Choo and if we sent Leclerc to Atl with him maybe Atl would send back Inciarte.
Him in response =Odor not Choo.
This guy
This guy
Is that you Dipoto, wearing glasses and fake moustache?
If it was Dipoto, that would be strangely revolutionary for the game… 4 and 5 team trades?! Really? Imagine Dipoto saying this:
Kyle Seager to the Reds (since there have been rumors saying that the Reds want Seager), for Johnathan India and Raisel Iglesias.
Kyle Lewis, Kellenic, Mallex, and Sheffield for Nimmo, Lugo, and Dom smith.
Vogelbach, Justin Dunn, and Dee Gordon for Brian Anderson
There are some wacky trades.
Please pass the J bud
The Reds do have a logjam in the OF. Red Sox don’t have much in MLB depth in the OF. Winkler, Aquino, Stephenson and Isabel? Either that or it’s Senzel and Aquino, maybe 1 more guy.
Exactly. I’m really surprised the Reds aren’t doing their due diligence and nobody else is bringing them up. I really feel like the reds are staying put until the deadline but why not make a run at a guy who’s a rental yes but if they turn the corner he could be swayed to stay and make a run with the reds for a few more years with the way this team is setup.
@Brad There’s only one way to sway Betts to sign with the Reds. And they don’t have to trade for him to do it.
I can only guess, but I bet Boston has their eyes on Verdugo. He’s a great young player. He doesn’t have the upside of Betts of course, but he clearly looks like a .300 hitter who can hit 20-25 homers a year while playing very good defense in right field for Boston. LAD gets Betts for a one year push and maybe they open their wallet to resign him?
I agree Kwolf. With the exception of Mackenzie Gore, none of the SD prospects have the ceiling that Verdugo does. Luis Patino is a potential #2 or #3 starter but he’s only 20 years old and would take another 1-2 years to make it to Fenway and I think Boston is looking for a package centered around at least 1, if not 2 major league ready assets. Plus with LA, the Sox do not need to take on an underwater contract / player like WIL Myers.
If there is any way for Boston to get both Verdugo and Ruiz in this deal, they need to pull the trigger immediately. No trade is going to bring back the overall talent that Betts has himself (he’s a unicorn), but Verdugo clearly has all star potential and Ruiz has the talent to be an everyday catcher with good pop in his bat. This deal could help Boston reshape their roster on the fly and if they can get a Price deal done too, they will have increased flexibility to add additional pieces that can help Boston stay relevant in an improving AL East. Let’s get it done!
Red sox arent getting both verdugo And ruiz especially if price is attached. Deal is already being centered around downs(dodgers 4th prospect) according to early reports. This is without price which would lower the deal to mostly like centering around ruiz, polluck/pederson, Ferguson and maybe an additional lower level prospect.
Sox are doing a deal without Verdugo included in it. They will pivot to SD if LA refuses to include him, even if Price is included.
It makes more sense for Boston to trade only Mookie to LAD to maximize their return and then work on a separate deal for Price with another team like the Angels. Now that Price is healthy, they may hold him for a couple of months to rebuild some value and trade him by the deadline. That would still solve their luxury tax issues by doing so.
Nah. Just another theory that the Dodgers should accept a massively lopsided deal with over $50M in negative contract value. Who does that kind of deal? Like, ever.
THey are not getting Verdugo and Ruiz-
Honestly if Verdugos in the deal there wont be much else and we prolly get to slip a bad contract of our own in thier like Pollock or Kelley
Can the Red Sox give permission to LAD and SDP to negotiate a long term deal with Betts at this point?
Sure but when the player has zero interest in signing who cares
They can but it would be pointless because Betts wouldn’t actually do it
Mookie and Price may just be changing Sox. The White Sos are perhaps 2 players away. Betts solidifies the OF and Price the pitching staff.
The Reds were mentioned in today’s comments–Betts and Price would add some experience along with Votto.
Whatever the outcome–it will be in the Red Sox best interests. Chaim knows what he’s doing–Let it be done before spring training.
Verdugo, Gray, Estevez, and Sborz would be a major over pay for a 1yr rental, but, I could see something like that happening.
Love to see the Mets get Betts even if we have to take David Price back
I wonder why the Angels aren’t in on Betts, they could offset Price’s contract with Upton’s and give up any number of prospects not named Adell.
Past Adell there is not enough to get Price and Betts, unless the Angels eat all of Price’s price, and all of Betts.
Better idea just Price for Upton straight up
Well on one hand, Red Sox get under the tax and get some prospects. On the other, they still pay tax and take on Myers with prospects. Which would be a fine enough upgrade at 1B, but they will probably have him split time in RF/DH with JD.
They won’t pony up for Betts, and Myers contract isn’t terrible if you move him to 1B/DH full time.
Great final point phillyballers
Myers 2 Best Seasons (pretty damn good seasons)…..were as a Full-Time 1B
His time in the OF before that didn’t go well………
His time in the OF AFTER that hasn’t gone well
Yes, it is. SD tried. He can’t hit
And Boston just re-signed their 1B
The contract is bad any way you slice it, but Myers does hit better when he plays 1B as opposed to OF. He’s probably a very marginal upgrade over Moreland at 1B but Moreland is $17M cheaper this year.
SD has played him out of position so much and it clearly messes with him. When he got those 2 years at 1B he actually did hit. If he went to a non-contender who could just set him at 1B for 150 games I think he could return to being a decent 2-3 WAR player, but with his salary I don’t know how that happens unless a team like SF just eats his contract in exchange for prospects.
Seems like a lot of commenters here are missing the main haggling point between the Dodgers and Red Sox, which is how much cash the Sox have to send to offset Price’s contract. It has to be at least $40M if the Sox hope to get anything back at all.
I agree. Price is owed a king’s ransom, and he’s a shadow of his former self. Still serviceable in the rotation and bullpen, but his production is worth maybe $10M max. I just don’t see LAD taking him unless BOS eats half.
Yup as I stated 2 weeks ago its going to be Joc and Pollock as the bones and possibly kelley going back if we get Price as well – Guys like Maeda Kiki and Taylor could also fit in as well; its really all up to the Sox in the pieces they want
Really for as complex as a trade as this might seem I think its actually pretty straight-forward and all comes down to how you view Price at this moment
JOC WON’T BE INCLUDED!
Yup for all the debate, the contours of what works for both teams isn’t very complicated, which makes you wonder why it’s taking so long to bring to a resolution. Somebody is being stubborn, or trying to overcomplicate the deal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Friedman.
I’m not voting. IF the billionaire Henry doesn’t pay up for Mookie, I will take a one-year break from MLB. They can take my usual 1000 bucks from tickets etc from their 2020 financial projections and go fk themselves.
Do you understand the part where Betts doesn’t want an extension? Or the one where he wants to be paid an exorbitant amount of money? Or the part where players like him decline fast?
Dodgers don’t need him as badly as the Padres do so I picked the Padres. They will end up overpaying probably.
Any way dodgers trade for price and betts only to ship price to angels for 3/4ths of that remaining contract? Then dodgers would give up even less to red sox and wouldnt be stuck with the price contract. Gets price back with maddon and gives angels a has been ace for about 20-25 million per year.
No
I agree that there’s a good chance that there’s a 3rd team involved somehow to make this deal come together.
Dodgers want to shed some payroll to take on Betts & Price (partial)…..so they’ll need to send someone packing (Joc seems most likely…..Pollock as a fall-back)
They’ll still be over the Luxury Tax, but only stage 1.
Not if the Red Sox neutralize the value of Price’s contract. That would take around $50M.
Dodgers are pretty close to the Tax now, and adding $27 Mil for Betts puts them over……..then they’re going to add Price? From what I can gather, they’d need to she $10 – 14 Mil to stay away from the 2nd level penalty.
Do they enough room to add both and not hit the 2nd level?
They are about $35M shy of the CBT as they stand now. Betts alone would bring them to around $8M short of the line. If they took on all of Price’s contract, that would put them around $22M over. The Red Sox would have to come with a bunch of cash to balance that deal anyway, so assuming it would be roughly half of what they are paying Price, probably the real need to reduce payroll for the Dodgers to not pay the CBT is around $10M, which they could do easily by including any of several players.
Yes but if they send 50M, it’s not just Verdugo, Downs and Ferguson imo
You’re back to paying for 2 MLB regulars. Not a star and a bad contract
How many times do I have to repost this?
LA ISNT AFRAID OF THE TAX. THEYVE PAID IT MORE THAN ANY OTHER TEAM THIS DECADE
Phew
They haven’t paid any tax in two years, and they are currently at their lowest payroll since 2012. How many times do I have to repost this?
Also, you must have missed the investor prospectus that was leaked a few months back, it made their policy on paying the CBT going forward very clear: Pay no tax. Will that policy change? Maybe, but it remains to be seen. What doesn’t remain to be seen is the policy for the last three years: Pay no tax. Their willingness to pay it 4-5 years ago to jumpstart the team is completely irrelevant to the plan going forward.
You also don’t seem to get why the Red Sox would need to send around $50M to neutralize including Price. That means they get nothing of significance back except around $75M in payroll relief. That ain’t nothing but it sure isn’t half of the Dodgers best prospects.
And as I said. Each of those offseasons they were rumored to be willing to spend a lot more money, but the stars didn’t want to come here. Cole, Rendon, Harper
2nd, I did see the report. Did you miss that it was from 2017 and before 3 near 100 win seasons and 2 WS births? Kasten said in Dec they anticipate paying the tax this year
But a 3 year old doc leaked by potential investors said otherwise! lol pick who you wanna believe
Are you saying the prospectus wasn’t genuine? Are you saying that it didn’t reflect precisely what the team has been doing? Or are you simply trying to avoid the issue?
Wrong comment to this was sent here. That’s for Jim boy up top
For you, I’m saying reading a doc prepared in Sept 2017, in late 2019, as if it’s current is really dumb. That’s what I’m saying
Its a great idea imindless…..I said this 2 weeks ago as well
Hearing quantrill, morejon, arias, hunt and myers for betts. Padres eat most of Myers contract.
Also hearing dodgers are offering downs, verdugo and ferguson and are reportedly in the lead. And?
Padres cant afford almost all of meyers contract and betts that an additional 30 million per year.
I assume that package is for a Betts only deal? If you ask me, Boston should pull the trigger on this now if it is indeed true. Downs really blossomed last season and while he only played 12 games in AA, he tore it up! Verdugo is an all star in the making and Ferguson is a decent throw in with a great fastball with upside. Unless Gore or Patino are included, SD can’t come close to matching this package. I believe Boston could add Downs without requiring a 40 man roster spot too which makes this even more attractive.
Boston can deal Price separately, by eating 50% of his deal. A lot of teams would be interested in Price at $16M – $17M per year and give up a decent package to do so.
Now your cooking Dorothy-
I agree Sox should def be looking to deal Price on his own eating half his salary to a team llike the Angels for prospects
Mookie Metts
AJ Preller has risked too much to let the Dodgers have Betts and further reduce his chances of keeping his job. He’ll pay a high price, but he’s always been okay with that. I’d be shocked if Boston gets better prospect options from LA.
As long as Myers isn’t included, but Margot. Lucchesi and a couple of more comparable players doesn’t come close to the Dodgers package that Peter Gammons described.
Someone is going to end up with a hangover on this deal. Betts needs to be the difference for any acquirer–anything less and the overall cost will be way too much. By “difference” that’s either a WS win for the Dodgers, or a deep run in playoffs for San Diego.
Somewhere in the United States.
A lot of good points being made on the board today, but a lot is being made about the prospect cost for a 1 year rental. There is plenty of history showing that teams ‘overpay’ to add that last piece to their team. While this normally takes place at the trade deadline (Chapman for Torres, Larry Anderson for Jeff Bagwell, Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz, etc), you have to trade talent to get talent and if the Dodgers feel like they are a player away from putting them over the top, then they need to be prepared to part with top tier talent to do so. While waiting for the deadline to see what their actual in-season gaps are makes sense, the costs of deadline deals can actually be higher (in prospects) than what a Betts deal would cost now (look no further than the Cubs / Chapman deal). Friedman is a brilliant GM and he understands this more than any of us do so it really comes down to how confident LA is that Mookie would put them over the top and if they feel that way, they will part with more prospect capital than most people think they will. If they wait, then a mid season acquisition could end up costing them May or possibly even Lux depending upon the player(s) they are looking to add. Teams that decide to hold onto all of the prospects vs. cashing some in for a known commodity tend to sit and home in October year after year and dream about next season.
Throwing out the Chapman trade wherever you can fit it in is completely yawn worthy
There is risk in every trade….taking the extreme high or low end results and trying to make a point out of it is a fruitless proposition
Also theres no such thing as “over the top” ….it simply doesnt exist and is only made up to help ease weak minds
May and Lux never come into this equation in any form…never have never will
The Dodgers have to be frustrated by their inability to win it all. Adding Mookie, even for only one year, increases their chances greatly to get the job done. Only a person who watches Betts play every game can appreciate just how good he is at all phases of the game. He runs the base like Jackie Robinson and plays RF like Roberto Clemente.
That’s the whole thing for virtually any prospect/star trade. The prospect side virtually always has more value. As good as Sale has been for the past three years, the chances are the Moncada & Kopech will combine for more value.
And I usually like the prospect side, but there are times you have to go for ring.
There’s no comparison of the trade market in July and in February. Stop trying to make one
I would guess he’ll be with the Dodgers
Will be huge upset if he goes to SD… Just dont see Boston wanting to take Will Myers contract..
I’m a Price fan hope he ends up in LA.. Want to see him in post season again.
If the Dodgers wanted him bad enough, this deal would be done. Don’t be surprised if he ends up a Padre.
I think Kris Bryant makes a lot more sense for the Dodgers. You get him for 2 years without concern for taking on an albatross contract in the package. Betts is one and done.
Probably the padres. Y’all seem to forget that aj preller has to make moves and get into a playoff position or get fired.
Dodgers don’t need him.
Preller is getting fired regardless lol. Thats why he wants to get Betts bad even though it makes no sense with their window. He knows its not going to be his farm for much longer so why hold back.
A big honking deal like this one almost certainly would require approval above Preller’s pay grade.
Mookie will be traded in July……for far less return value.
Greece
Angels will sweep in and get Mookie and Price for Upton 3 prospects not including Adell and pay all of Price’s contract. A future OF of Adell, Betts and Trout. Betts,Trout and Rendon in the Lineup
Lol they wouldn’t be able to afford him with trout, pugols , and rendon on board . Plus the other contracts
Any team can afford these players.These owners are billionaires. Arte has money.. He can bite the bullet for 2 years until Pujols contract expires.
They’re not all billionaires, and nearly all of them share ownership with other investors. However, your main point is valid. Most of the revenue streams clubs generate do not impact roster salaries. In fact, this can be said for every industry, not just baseball. You rarely see workforces get rewarded for increases in productivity. It usually goes to owners and administrators.
I read someone say three team trade? Let’s tie this up in a wildly pretty bow.
Reds get seager and price.
Twins get betts
Dodgers get lindor and prospects
Red Sox get senzel and prospects
Sorry. Just wanted my turn with the crazy trade machine.
Or swap the twins and reds return. Twins can use seager at short and let polanco recover slowly from his ankle surgery and then trade whoever before the deadline.
Makes no sense for the Dodgers to swap out Seager for Lindor.
Lindor is better now. Quicker path to title. He resigns and they get better long term.
I love how you assume Lindor will just magically re-sign
But like I said, just throwing a crazy multi team trade out there. Still better than half the trades people are coming up with.
Brad, i will give you the crazy
Brad, a three team trade with four teams (Red, Twins, Dodgers, Red Sox) and a star (Lindor) included from a fifth team. (Cleveland) that apparently gets nothing? Your crazy trade machine is very broken.
i don’t care where he goes as long as he’s gone before opening day…
Reading between the lines, I think Boston is pretty confident Betts isn’t interested in sticking around once he becomes a free agent. I understand the need to get under the luxury tax but it’s hard to justify letting go of a player like this for the sake of money. This team isn’t awful, they have a chance to be competitive this year. I think the writing has been on the wall about Betts desire to stay and management just wants to get something like prospects or financial relief instead of a draft pick.
Bosox, Sox offered 10/300M. John Henry wants to reset the cap. If they trade Mookie this year, reset the cap, they can bid on Mookie next year. Or Springer. With 3 of the main 4 rotation members coming off injuries, this does not look like a promising year. I’d prefer Betts stay until the deadline but what goes along with resetting the cap?
Restocking the farm.
Dodger blue wishes hahahha