Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: MLB Network Hosts Talk Mookie Betts and David Price To Los Angeles

Last we heard, Jon Morosi had the Los Angeles Dodgers as the most likely team to acquire Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox. Of course as a sidebar of the deal, starting pitcher David Price would presumably be involved.

Now, Chris Rose and Kevin Millar from MLB Network’s Intentional Talk discuss the subject once again and raise a few interesting points. You can take a look at the full clip of the segment below.



First, Millar says that that the Dodgers can afford to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade like this. However, it’s important to know if Betts would re-sign in Los Angeles before making the trade.

“It makes sense if you’re the Dodgers, it really does. They can afford to make this move. They can afford to pay Price. Obviously Mookie Betts, he’s a player. It’s just a matter if you can sign him after the 2020 season when he’s a free agent.”

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Then Rose reminds everyone that the Dodgers and Red Sox once made a big trade before. Equally important, they were dance partners back when Los Angeles acquired the likes of Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Adrian Gonzalez to provide salary relief for Boston. He also says that he doesn’t do the deal if he’s the Dodgers unless he’s assured Betts will re-sign with the team long-term.

“That’s what you do [if you’re the Dodgers]. See if this is somewhere that he even wants to play. Because I agree with you, you can’t go out and make this deal if Mookie doesn’t want to continue playing in Los Angeles. You only make this deal if Mookie is like ‘yep, I am ready to go down Rodeo drive. I’m ready to get a convertible Mercedes and get about $300-plus million dollars. So just find out, I don’t know if Mookie Betts grew up a fan of the Dodgers. But Los Angeles is a big market team, and I like when big market teams have package deals.”

Of course on paper, the deal makes sense for both sides for the points Rose and Millar have raised. Still, all indications infer that this would be the Dodgers taking on a $300 million dollar long-term contract beyond this season. To this point, it’s hard to find a comp in terms of a position player they have been comfortable with making that type of commitment to.

In short, it could be just as important to know the Dodgers’ comfort level with Betts as it is the other way around.

NEXT: Dodgers Active Trade Rumors

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15 Comments

  1. Clint, as far as I am concerned, then i don’t make this deal simply for a 1 year rental if indeed Betts would go out and test FA market instead of agreeing to an extension. Why give up top prospects for a 1 year rental and end up with nothing in 2021 as a result/

    1. If we actually had a well respected and looked up to former baseball player in our ownership instead of a basketball one ( Magic) we could collude with Betts and try to get him to secretly agree to a future extension without letting the public know so we could get a cheaper trade deal with Boston because he’d be a one year rental as far as they know, kind of like how we got Machado for a somewhat cheap package because he was an upcoming free agent

      1. Interesting idea here, Don. But most of us are pretty sure that Betts may look to supersede those deals signed by Harper and Machado last year. meaning he will most likely demand a deal close to $400 million but IDK for sure, just a guess.

  2. The Dodgers need to stick to the deal for the trade for Betts. But in the case of price, I see his one year option as if great value. I think he will have an exceptional year in 2020. For one, he would only face only 8 legit batters as a national League pitcher. He would pitch to mostly lefty swingers. The batting averages of right handed batters is a bit lower the lefties.

    1. At least not taking on the rest of his $90 million salary that’s for sure. But I am not really that anxious for Price to come here. That $ could easily be spent elsewhere to fill a need.

  3. Not happening period.no team gives up on a homegrown star there’s something wrong but let’s give them Taylor for Mokie and strippling who right now is better than price and let boston pay half the salary of price.Taylor will hit 36+hrs playing in this little league ballpark,and could be a gold glove centerfielder..Playing in Fenway he can shorten his swing and still hit it over the green monster and strippling can win 16+ games..Mookie will probably be a 22 hr hitter,maybe a 280 hitter as his swing will suffer trying to hit hrs at dodger stadium,he will strike out more than usual.Still not worth it.

    1. He’d strikeout more than usual because that’s the philosophy on the Dodgers and with the juiced balls the last several years dodger stadium isn’t a hard park to hit homeruns incase you haven’t noticed players hit it out a lot here

  4. Why does everyone on here always discredit every single damn free agent player who is ready for a payday? These players have earned every cent they receive. Its like a sickness being mind melted as a Dodgers fan! Kastten and Friedman have everyone so hoodwinked that people are making excuses for perrenial All Stars, world series champions, and just all around top tier ball players as not being worth the cost! What’s wrong with people around here? The Lakers go out and buy the best players in the world and the fans aren’t making excuses about how they will fail in LA! Cmon you guys! The players demand the top pay because they are the top in their craft! The Dodgers think they’ re prospects will match up with these proven all star players every Oct and each time they are outplayed ! People need to wake up and ask themselves a truthful question, ” what’s changed in sports?” The team with the most all stars and top tier players win every time!!!! The Dodgers in the past only won when they picked up the top FA players! Kirk Gibson was the biggest Free Agent in the 87-88 off season! If Kasten is the Pres in that era, he doesn’t sign Gibson, no way. How about Pedro Guerrero? Dusty Baker? Rick Monday? Does Kasten sign them? No way!!!! What’s changed in the universe from then and now?

    1. Basketball’s different; a couple stars teamed with role players gets you in the thick of it. Not so with baseball. The season’s too long and the injuries mount up. Plus you big contributions from a lot more players.

  5. Im a d?dger fan.also,Im a big fan of Andrew Friedman, and hes done a fantastic job building this team.who ever said we couldnt get any younger,my point of view i rather have championships then a ws.

  6. Boston will not let go of Betts just to free up room under the salary cap even if it means getting the Dodgers or another team to accept David Price and all his $96 million. However, it should go a long ways towards reducing the cost of prospects given up in return. LA has plenty of young talent that could make an acceptable offering without giving up Lux, May and a couple of others. The are deep in catching and pitching talent but not so much otherwise. The question “would Betts be willing to stay in LA” is both crucial and moot at the same time. While if the answer is no, that’s a big deal
    but who knows how high the bids will go to gain a player of his caliber (though I don’t see him as all that better than Seager. More SBs perhaps but since when does the Dodgers care about those?). Some team will always be hungrier than the Dodgers: who feel fan pressure more than LA, believe it or not, and won’t stop raising the ante until they get their man, like the Yankees did with Gerrit Cole. Giving up Seager makes little sense as LA needs a 3rd baseman, which he could (if he would) become. And Boston needs cheap talent under team control for a while, which Seager is not.

  7. I take it you are ‘colesium Jim? At this point Boston just may hold on to Betts when all is said and done simply because he only has 1 year of team control, 2020 and has said he WILL test the FA market. It means they know they could not expect that much of a return because of that. So in the long run many doubt Betts will be traded here to begin with.

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