LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Dodgers made a three team deal on Tuesday, February 4. The Dodgers have come to terms with the Boston Red Sox for a deal that will send former MVP Mookie Betts, 27, and left-hander David Price to Los Angeles in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo.
In the same deal, the Minnesota Twins sent pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Kenta Maeda, going from Los Angeles to Minnesota.
The Dodgers also sent outfielder Joc Pederson to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for infielder Luis Rengifo. Pederson, 27, was coming off his best season in 2019 hitting .249 with 36 home runs and 74 RBIs for the Dodgers. Both Pederson and Betts are free agents after this season.
Betts last season showed him hitting .295/.391/.524 and finished eighth in American League MVP voting. He won the 2018 MVP, hitting .346/.438/.640 during the Red Sox’s championship winning season. The Dodgers add Betts to a lineup that already includes reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger and top prospect Gavin Lux.
Many fans were left wondering if and when the Dodgers would strike as there was little movement during the winter in trades news. Top free agents such as Gerrit Cole, who signed with the New York Yankees, Anthony Rendon, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Stephen Strasburg, who resigned with the Washington Nationals, were all players of interest for the Dodgers at one point.
The Dodgers have not won a World Series Championship since 1988 and recently lost in back-to-back World Series’ against the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox. The 2017 Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games. The Astros were recently outed for cheating during that season by stealing signs and warning hitters what pitches were coming by banging on trash cans, according to a report from Major League Baseball. The 2018 Red Sox, who beat the Dodgers in five games, are also under investigation for using technology to steal signs.
