Various media outlets are reporting the Los Angeles Dodgers are pursuing a trade to obtain Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox.
Andy McCullough of The Athletic reports the two teams are discussing different trade scenarios with one of them including taking on David Price‘s contract. Price, 34, has three years $96 million remaining on his contract.
In some ways a trade like this is reminiscent of the famed 2012 trade between these two teams. In that trade, the Red Sox sent the large contrasts of Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford to the Dodgers for what was mostly salary relief.
That trade helped bring the Dodgers back to prominence while allowing the Red Sox to free up payroll to help sign players to help them win the 2013 World Series.
At the moment, the willingness to take on Price’s contract may put the Dodgers in the lead over the Padres in the pursuit of Betts.
Jon Heyman of MLB also notes the relationship between Andrew Friedman and Chaim Bloom may also help facilitate a trade. Friedman and Bloom worked together for 10 years as members of the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Even with that relationship, the determining factor may be just how much the Red Sox value Padres prospect Luis Campusano.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune, the Padres are willing to offer two prospects from their strong farm system in exchange for Betts. The issue in a potential trade wouldn’t be the inclusion of Campusano, who MLB Pipeline rates as the fourth best catching prospect, but rather, the Padres insistence the Red Sox take back Wil Myers in a deal to help offset their financial commitments.
Myers, 29, has three years, $61 million guaranteed remaining on his contract, and he is coming off a year with a -0.3 WAR.
With Spring Training now weeks away, both the Dodgers and Padres are pushing hard to obtain Betts, and we may very well see Betts traded to either team in the near future.
