On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox announced a blockbuster three-way deal with the LA Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins that sent American League MVP, Mookie Betts, along with pitcher, David Price, to the Dodgers.
Naturally, the baseball world was shocked at the news, and Red Sox fans were enraged that their beloved Betts was shipped off to the NL.
In this three-way trade, the Dodgers got Mookie Betts, David Price, plus cash. The Red Sox got Alex Verdugo (from the Dodgers) and Brusdar Graterol (from the Twins), while the Twins got Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers.
According to CBS sports, the takeaways from this trade are as follows:
- The Red Sox prioritized money over wins. Because they were projected to be nearly $20 million over the luxury-tax line, so by trading Betts and his $27 million contract, along with half of the $96 million owed to Price, they've cleared their cap sheet, but they've also traded their MVP to champion profits. Betts is a free agent after this season and rather than accept an extension he was expected to shop for a market-value contract. Now the Dodgers have a season to woo him and convince him that LA should be his permanent home.
- Dodgers are now the World Series favorites. Adding Betts and Price makes them an arguably all-star caliber team.
- Boston got a raw deal. You'd think that trading the second-best player in the MLB would garner more of a return, but Verdugo is a polarizing player and while Graterol shows promise, his mechanics are worrisome for the long-term.
When the news was announced, fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the deal...
The Red Sox traded their best player because their billionaire owner can’t afford to pay him. It’s OK. You can stop watching baseball like I did.
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) February 5, 2020
Crazy that Red Sox put themselves in such a bad position financially that they wouldn’t be able to afford a franchise player like Betts. That Sale extension...
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) February 5, 2020
The Red Sox are really trading Mookie Betts—one of baseball's best players and most accomplished players at just 27 years old. John Henry should be ashamed of himself. Absolutely pathetic. pic.twitter.com/zvgUZ610nn
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 5, 2020