February 4th, 2020: The Red Sox have reportedly completed the long-awaited Betts trade. The Red Sox have reportedly sent Betts and David Price to the Dodgers. The Twins are reportedly the third team involved in this trade, getting some high end pitching. The Dodgers are going to be sending half of the money owed to Price back to the Red Sox as a part of this trade. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the two sides had finally reached an agreement on the matter.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox that would send star outfielder Mookie Betts and starter David Price to the Dodgers, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Deal is pending medical reviews.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020
The Minnesota #Twins are the third team in this Betts trade.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 5, 2020
Betts is a former MVP award winner as well as a four-time all-star in each of the last four seasons. In 2019, Betts hit .295/.391/.524 with 29 home runs and 80 RBI for the Red Sox. In arbitration this year, Betts and the Red Sox would settle for an astounding $27 million for the 2020 season. He will now head to the Dodgers and remain with a World Series contender, even though the Red Sox did not make the postseason in 2019.
Price is on a seven-year, $216 million contract that still has him being owed $96 million through the 2022 season. In 2019, Price made 22 starts, pitching himself to a 7-5 record, with a 4.28 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 128 strikeouts over 107.1 innings pitched. Price is not the same as the Cy Young Award winner. He was back in 2012, but he is still an excellent left-handed arm.
Alex Verdugo is one of the players who is going to the Red Sox as a part of this trade. Verdugo was a rising star this season for the Dodgers, playing in 106 games for the Dodgers in 2019. Throughout the 2019 season, Verdugo hit .294/.342/.475 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI for the Dodgers. Verdugo will join the Red Sox outfield alongside Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr.
The Dodgers are not done, they are also sending pitcher Kenta Maeda to the Twins in exchange for pitcher Graterol who gets moved right away. Maeda made twenty-six starts, thirty-seven total appearances with 153.2 innings pitched in total. He would earn a 4.04 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, with 169 strikeouts throughout 2019. Graterol only pitched in ten big league ballgames in 2019, but now joins the Dodgers after being immediately shipped from Minnesota to Los Angeles.
February 6th, 2020: After medical reviews of pitcher Brusdar Graterol, the Boston Red Sox have become hesitant to complete the trade. Most feel the deal is still going through, but it is not completely certain with Graterol’s medical review not being exactly what was expected. The Minnesota Twins may need to include some extra players in the trade to fully convince the Red Sox to complete the trade. This trade is holding up the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels part of the agreement since Joc Pederson cannot be traded until the Dodgers officially acquire Mookie Betts, which would ultimately fall through.
February 9th, 2020: The players involved were officially notified of the trade details. In a sense, it is three separate trades that have all started to officially fall into place. The Red Sox are sending Betts, Price, and an influx of cash to the Dodgers. In return, the Dodgers are shipping Verdugo and newly added shortstop Jeter Downs, and catcher Connor Wong is being sent to the Red Sox. The Twins are sending Graterol to the Dodgers in exchange for Maeda. The third leg of the trade is between the Dodgers and Angels is no longer happening, rather is going to fall through, making it a three-team trade as finalized.
