I’m a Red Sox Fan, and I Love the Mookie Betts Trade
By Nathan VanRensselaer
There has been a lot of talk about the recent Boston Red Sox Trade with the LA Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, which has often been about the Dodgers as the best team in the MLB. That may be true.
Here is the outcome of the completed trade:
Red Sox acquire:
- Alex Verdugo (from Dodgers)
- Brusdar Graterol (from Twins)
Dodgers acquire:
- Mookie Betts (from Red Sox)
- David Price (from Red Sox)
- Cash (from Red Sox)
Twins acquire:
- Kenta Maeda (from Dodgers)
In the buildup to the 2020 MLB season, Red Sox owner John Henry made it clear that it was apriority to get below the competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold. The Red Sox payroll was $229.1 million in 2019. To get under the CBT threshold, they had to get below $208 million.
In one trade, the Red Sox lost Mookie Betts’ salary ($27 million) and David Price’s salary ($30 million), achieving John Henry’s goal even before the season starts. But that is not why I love this trade.
I love this trade because (1) it gets rid of a player who arguably did not want to be in Boston and (2) it gave the Red Sox young players — something badly needed due to former President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, gutting of the Boston farm system in order to win the World Series.
Mookie Betts will be a free agent in 2021 offseason and getting a return of young players who are ready to contribute is better than losing him for nothing. If Mookie Betts wanted to be in Boston, there were plenty of opportunities to make that clear. Even if the Red Sox’s extension offer was too low, Betts did not make a concerted effort to come to any agreement. Instead, he made it very clear that he was going to the open free agent market.
The Red Sox’s farm system is considered one of the worst in the MLB. The two players acquired in this trade are 23 (Verdugo) and 21 (Graterol). Price (age 34) is still a contributor, but is an aging and less-consistent player. Verdugo and Graterol are both young players who will continue to grow.
These two young players are in addition to Rafael Devers (age 23), Xander Bogaerts (age 27), Michael Chavis (age 24), and Andrew Benintendi (age 25). This core of young players who have continued to progress put the Red Sox in a great place moving forward.
The Red Sox’s rotation needs work and the farm system still needs a significant amount of talent, but this trade gets rid of a player who did not want to stay in exchange for young and hungry players ready to contribute.
A lot of Red Sox fans and MLB commentators have expressed their reservations on this trade, which I can agree to. But overall, the Red Sox are looking to the future, which is refreshing after years of trading young prospects for aging stars.
Twitter: @read_TheZEAL
