Report: Red Sox, Dodgers Agree to New Mookie Betts Trade
After the blockbuster trade sending Mookie Betts from the Red Sox to the Dodgers appeared in jeopardy, the two teams have agreed to a new parameters for the trade, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The trade will reportedly send Betts and pitcher David Price to Los Angeles in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo and prospects shortstop Jeter Downs and catcher Connor Wong. Verdugo was included in the original deal that was reported Tuesday. Boston will cover half of Price's remaining $96 million salary, per The Athletic's Chad Jennings.
This version of the trade, as was the case with the initial one, is still pending medical reviews and will not be finalized until those are completed.
The parties were initially part of a three-team trade also involving the Twins, with Minnesota sending pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to Boston and getting righthander Kenta Maeda from L.A. in return. However, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported late Wednesday night that the deal was reportedly on hold after the Red Sox raised medical concerns about Graterol.
On Friday, Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, even issued a strong statement on the holdup of this week's proposed trade saying the deals "need to be resolved without further delay."
In a separate deal, the Dodgers are sending Maeda and $10 million to the Twins in exchange for Graterol, outfield prospect Luke Raley and the 67th pick in the upcoming draft, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Earlier this week, Passan and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel also reported the Dodgers are trading outfielder Jon Pederson and starting pitcher Ross Stripling in exchange for infielder Luis Rengifo and prospects. That deal, however, is not happening, according to Rosenthal.
The 27-year-old Betts will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 season after the Red Sox were unable to sign their star outfielder to a long-term deal. The two sides agreed to a record-setting $27 million deal in early January to avoid arbitration. According to Heyman, the Dodgers will try to keep Betts longterm.
Betts spent the first six seasons of his career with the Red Sox after they drafted him in 2011. The four-time All-Star finished last season hitting .295/.391/.524 with 29 home runs and 80 RBIs. He led MLB with a .346 batting average, .640 slugging percentage and 129 runs in his MVP-winning 2018 campaign.
