Mookie Betts Trade to Dodgers Might Not Happen

It turns out that Mookie Betts might not be headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers after all. A few days ago, a big trade was reported that would have sent superstar Boston Red Sox outfielder and former MVP Mookie Betts and starting pitcher David Price to the Dodgers for some prospects. However, the Minnesota Twins were also involved in the deal. The Twins were going to get a pitcher from the Dodgers and send a pitcher named Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox. However, the Red Sox took a look at Graterol’s medical report and they did not like what they saw.

According to CBS Sports with knowledge of the situation, the Red Sox think that Graterol will most likely be a relief pitcher. Therefore, he is not as valuable to them as if he was a starter. This caused the Red Sox to ask for an additional player from the Twins. However, Minnesota has backed out of the deal because they have no interest in complying with the demands of the Red Sox. This puts the big trade in serious jeopardy of falling apart. Boston will need to find another team to put in the mix in order to get the deal done. The problem is that the Major League Baseball players union demanded that the deal be completed quickly. It is not clear if that will happen.

The Red Sox are trying to trade Betts because he will be a free agent at the end of the 2020 season. He has asked for a huge contract to remain with the Red Sox. They feel he is asking for too much money. Therefore, they want to unload him now to get as much as they can for him. They would not be able to get nearly as much for Betts if they tried to trade him at the deadline in the middle of the season.

It remains to be seen if the Red Sox will be able to find another team that is interested in taking part in the deal. They know they will not be able to complete with the New York Yankees this year even if they have Betts on their team. This is why it is so imperative for Boston to trade Betts now while his value is still at its highest. Also, there is a chance that Betts could get injured once the season starts. That would make him impossible to trade.