Mookie Betts is being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the terms of the deal that will send him from the Boston Red Sox to LA have been revised.
The Dodgers and Red Sox on Sunday agreed to a new deal involving Betts. Like the original trade, Boston will get outfielder Alex Verdugo. The Red Sox are also getting shortstop prospect Jeter Downs and catching prospect Connor Wong from the Dodgers.
BREAKING: The trade that will send Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers has been agreed upon, sources tell ESPN. Outfielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop Jeter Downs are among those who will go to the Boston Red Sox.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 9, 2020
Catching prospect Connor Wong is headed to the Boston Red Sox alongside outfielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop Jeter Downs in the trade that will send outfielder Mookie Betts, starter David Price and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources tell ESPN. Players have been notified.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 9, 2020
The deal was originally supposed to also involve the Twins, with the Red Sox receiving 21-year-old pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol from Minnesota. Now, the Dodgers have worked out a separate trade with the Twins that will send Graterol and a draft pick to the Dodgers for pitcher Kenta Maeda, $10 million, and a low-level prospect.
David Price is also still going to the Dodgers, and the Red Sox will pay half of his remaining salary as they agreed to do in the original Betts deal.
Red Sox/Dodgers trade is in fact nearly finished. Source says the Red Sox will pay half of the remaining $96 million remaining on David Price's salary.
— Chad Jennings (@chadjennings22) February 9, 2020
The Red Sox ended up with two additional prospects from LA after they were concerned with Graterol’s medical history. The Dodgers obviously don’t share that concern, and they are now getting Graterol in addition to Betts, which could be an even better deal for them.
While the Red Sox say they backed out of the original Betts trade due to concerns about Graterol’s health, there are many people who think there was a different reason they had a change of heart. Either way, the Dodgers still got their guy in a blockbuster deal and also added starting rotation help with Price.
