The trade sending Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers is finally official.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and general manager Brian O’Halloran formally announced the deal Monday night at the club’s spring training complex in Fort Myers. Boston will send Betts, Price and $48 million to Los Angeles for outfielder Alex Verdugo, infield prospect Jeter Downs and catching prospect Connor Wong.
Both Bloom and O’Halloran immediately [...]
The trade sending Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers is finally official.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and general manager Brian O’Halloran formally announced the deal Monday night at the club’s spring training complex in Fort Myers. Boston will send Betts, Price and $48 million to Los Angeles for outfielder Alex Verdugo, infield prospect Jeter Downs and catching prospect Connor Wong.
Both Bloom and O’Halloran immediately acknowledged the obvious. Dealing a generational talent like Betts with one year of team control remaining was guaranteed to provoke a backlash among the Red Sox fan base. Both men insisted such a move was necessary for the club’s long-term sustainability, a notion supported by chairman Tom Werner.
“Ultimately, we believe that this will set us up for sustained long-term success,” Werner said in a statement. “I want to express our thanks to Mookie and David for the impact they had on our club and our community.”
Principal owner John Henry said in September that checking in under the first threshold of the Collective Balance Tax was a “goal, not a mandate.” This trade sheds some $40 million from the Boston payroll, which now sits just south of $190 million. The Red Sox could add nearly $20 million in salary and still be in position to reset the CBT penalties they’ve been subjected to in each of the last two seasons.
“The goal to get under the CBT is not an end in itself,” Bloom said. “It’s part of a larger goal – our biggest goal – which is to put ourselves in position to compete and win sustainably for as many years as we can.”
Betts captured the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player award and rewrote club record books during his five full seasons. The 27-year-old captured four Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers and reached four All-Star Games. Betts repeatedly stated his intention to test the market in free agency after the 2020 season, something Boston couldn’t allow to happen without receiving significanat value in return.
“I think when you have star player who’s approaching free agency, you know it’s going to take a sizable commitment to keep them here,” Bloom said. “Those commitments obviously have a lot of positives, and they also have risks.”
Price has three years remaining on the $217-million contract he signed in free agency with the Red Sox prior to the 2016 season. The 34-year-old won his final three starts of the 2018 postseason, including the clinching A.L. Championship Series Game 5 against the Astros and the World Series decider against the Dodgers. Price has battled elbow and wrist injuries over the past three seasons, making just 63 total starts.
“David’s arrival in Boston paved the way for a historic chapter for the Red Sox,” Henry said. “His presence at the top of our rotation was critical to winning three consecutive (A.L. East) championships, and his 2018 postseason performance put both his talent and tenacity on full display.”
…..More to come.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25