Five days after it was agreed to in principle, the Red Sox appear to have finalized a trade that will send Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers.
Outfielder Alex Verdugo, infield prospect Jeter Downs and catching prospect Connor Wong are reportedly on their way to Boston. Los Angeles will make a separate deal with the Twins to send right-hander Kenta Maeda and cash to Minnesota for right-hander Brusdar Graterol and a 2020 draft pick.
ESPN and The Athletic reported [...]
Five days after it was agreed to in principle, the Red Sox appear to have finalized a trade that will send Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers.
Outfielder Alex Verdugo, infield prospect Jeter Downs and catching prospect Connor Wong are reportedly on their way to Boston. Los Angeles will make a separate deal with the Twins to send right-hander Kenta Maeda and cash to Minnesota for right-hander Brusdar Graterol and a 2020 draft pick.
ESPN and The Athletic reported the details Sunday night, appearing to put an end to an ugly impasse that lingered through the end of the week. The Red Sox balked upon receiving Graterol’s medical information and demanded additional prospect capital from Minnesota to complete the transaction. The Twins were prepared to walk away from discussions late Saturday night before striking an independent trade with the Dodgers.
Boston is parting with one of the premier players in baseball. Per FanGraphs, only Angels outfielder Mike Trout has posted more wins above replacement than Betts since 2016. The 27-year-old was the American League Most Valuable Player in 2018, a four-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger.
Price has started just 63 games over the past three seasons, but his playoff performance during a run to the 2018 World Series title went a long way toward exorcising his October demons. The 34-year-old left-hander won the clinching games in the A.L. Championship Series against the Astros and the Fall Classic against Los Angeles.
Betts has repeatedly said he will test the free agent market prior to the 2021 season, and the Red Sox were simply unwilling to take a chance on him walking away without receiving some sort of value in return. Boston is also shedding about half the dollar amount remaining on Price’s contract, which runs through the 2022 season. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has achieved the goal set by principal owner John Henry of slipping under the first threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax.
The Red Sox remove roughly $40 million in payroll for the upcoming season – $27 million in the one-year deal Betts signed to avoid arbitration and about half of the $31 million average annual value commanded by Price. Los Angeles will pick up the remaining half of Price’s salary as it attempts to capture a first championship since 1988. Verdugo took home just $560,000 in 2019 and is likely the only player sent by the Dodgers who will break spring training on Boston’s roster.
Price’s departure and Rick Porcello’s one-year deal with the Mets leaves the Red Sox with a thin starting rotation. Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi both missed extended time due to injury in 2019 and only Eduardo Rodriguez enjoyed what could be qualified as a strong year – Boston finished 24-8 in games started by the left-hander. Bloom now has roughly $20 million to work with below the CBT should he seek to make a late free agent addition or subsequent trade that would take on salary.
Verdugo was a consensus top-40 prospect in baseball and made his debut with the Dodgers in 2017. The 23-year-old has slashed .282/.335/.449 through parts of his first three years and 158 games. He won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2024 season.
Downs is a top-50 prospect in baseball per MLB.com and immediately moves toward the head of the Red Sox minor league ranks in that regard. The 21-year-old infielder reached Double-A last season and slashed .276/.362/.526 with 24 home runs, 35 doubles and 24 stolen bases across two levels. Downs is the younger brother of Jerry Downs, a Boston prospect who appeared at Class A Salem and Double-A Portland in 2019.
The 23-year-old Wong immediately becomes the top catcher in the Red Sox minor league system. A third-round pick out of Houston in the 2017 draft, Wong slashed .281/.336/.541 at Class A and Double-A last season. Wong totaled 24 home runs and 24 doubles in 111 games.
Boston was initially set to receive the 21-year-old Graterol in a three-team trade, but concerns about his health and whether or not he profiled as a starter or reliever gave the Red Sox cold feet. Graterol underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 and was shut down for two months last season due to a right shoulder impingement. Minnesota sent him to Los Angeles instead, bringing back Maeda and some $10 million in cash.
The lengthy delay in formally announcing the deal drew the ire of MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark and Angels owner Arte Moreno. Clark released a statement on Friday imploring the three teams to reach a final agreement and Moreno voiced his objection in light of another transaction involving his club that was put on hold. Clark said the impasse “unfairly put several players’ lives in a state of limbo.”
With Betts in the fold, the Dodgers are now likely to complete a five-player trade with the Angels involving another outfielder. Joc Pederson and right-hander Ross Stripling will reportedly be moved for infielder Luis Rengifo and a pair of Angels prospects.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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