Passan: Betts and Price to Dodgers

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Redskins Rick said:

Did the team not want to resign him, or was Betts after top money and insisting to test free agent market?

The former Red Sox infielder reported Tuesday on WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni & Fauria" that Boston offered Betts a 10-year, $300 million contract extension following the 2018 season. Betts countered with 12 years and $420 million, according to Merloni, and the deal fell through.

That gap of $120 million marked the third consecutive offseason the Red Sox and Betts were off by roughly $100 million in contract negotiations, citing the eight-year, $200 million offer Betts rejected following the 2017 season and the five-year, $100 million deal he turned down after the 2016 season.   https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/mlb-rumors-mookie-betts-red-sox-had-massive-gap-2019-contract-talks%3famp

 

[SteveA]

33 minutes ago, jamalshw said:

I'm actually quite surprised at how much the Dodgers have been willing to give up on their SP depth this off season. Hill and Ryu walk which made since given their depth, particularly from the left side. They just traded Maeda and Stripling now though. Sure, they get Price and have him along with Kershaw and Buehler at the top, but what comes next? I guess they're counting on Wood bouncing back and Julio Urias finally giving them a full season in the rotation? Of course, they do still have May and Gonsolin along with some others ready to graduate, but Stripling was a righty with a bit more experience. It seems they're now set to start the year with four southpaws in the rotation.

With Stripling in Anaheim now, is it possible Bundy doesn't make the rotation or gets demoted during the season? Tehran, Ohtani and Stripling are probably ahead of him (though Stripling's experience as a swing man may come into play). Heaney is the "established" guy on the team and Griffin Canning showed some promise. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that--barring injury--Bundy could find himself going to the bullpen at some point. Unless Ohtani can become an ace after not pitching last season, this team still lacks top end arms, but the rotational depth is a lot better now.

Ohtani is probably going to be on a once-a-week Sundays only schedule like he was in 2018.   So Anaheim will be using somewhat of a 6 man rotation to accommodate that.   There's room for Bundy if he's healthy.

[wildbillhiccup]

4 hours ago, wildbillhiccup said:

My takeaways from the trade. 

1) Great move by the Dodgers. Well worth the price they paid. Barring any significant injuries I expect them to run away with the NL West and use most of August / September to rest and position themselves for the playoff run. 

2) Great move by the Twins. They realized that the AL Central is ripe for the picking with no really strong contenders and adding a reliable arm like Maeda to their rotation is huge. The only question will be if he can hold up to a true starter's workload since the Dodgers have protected him over the last few seasons. Granted some of that "protection" was monetarily motivated. The White Sox are the only true competition I see for the Twins, but I still think they're a significant step behind. 

3) Bad move for the Angels. Pederson is a VERY flawed. Not great defensively (especially at 1B) and unplayable against lefties. If they plan on platooning him and splitting his time between OF and DH they can probably camouflage some of those weaknesses, but they're already stuck with Ohtani and Pujols at DH. Yes, they've made some moves this off season, but aside from getting Ohtani back (as a pitcher) are they really that much better? 

4) Bad move for the Red Sox, only in the sense that they should have never put themselves in the position of having to trade the face of their franchise. Yes, Verdugo and Graterol are a pretty good haul (and a good example of why the Orioles should have traded Machado before the 2018 season), but Graterol has control issues and I'm really not that high on Verdugo. I think his power is very limited and his ceiling might me a Nick Markakis/Alex Gordon type. I'm not sure how valuable those numbers are in the juiced ball era. 

I take back what I said about the Angels. If they're getting Stripling too then it's a great move. 

 

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Ross Stripling is being traded to the Angels along with Joc Pederson.

Luis Rengifo will go to the Dodgers along with two prospects, per Nightengale's sources. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported Tuesday that the Angels would be getting Dodgers outfield prospect Andy Pages, but it's unclear if that is still an element of this deal. Nightenagle says there are "still a lot of moving parts." Stripling, 30, posted a 3.47 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, and 93/20 K/BB ratio over 90 2/3 innings (15 starts, 17 relief appearances) last year in Dodger blue. He would presumably operate out of the starting rotation in Anaheim.

[wildbillhiccup]

41 minutes ago, jamalshw said:

I'm actually quite surprised at how much the Dodgers have been willing to give up on their SP depth this off season. Hill and Ryu walk which made since given their depth, particularly from the left side. They just traded Maeda and Stripling now though. Sure, they get Price and have him along with Kershaw and Buehler at the top, but what comes next? I guess they're counting on Wood bouncing back and Julio Urias finally giving them a full season in the rotation? Of course, they do still have May and Gonsolin along with some others ready to graduate, but Stripling was a righty with a bit more experience. It seems they're now set to start the year with four southpaws in the rotation.

With Stripling in Anaheim now, is it possible Bundy doesn't make the rotation or gets demoted during the season? Tehran, Ohtani and Stripling are probably ahead of him (though Stripling's experience as a swing man may come into play). Heaney is the "established" guy on the team and Griffin Canning showed some promise. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that--barring injury--Bundy could find himself going to the bullpen at some point. Unless Ohtani can become an ace after not pitching last season, this team still lacks top end arms, but the rotational depth is a lot better now.

They're actually still deceptively deep. Letting Ryu walk was a smart move and I feel like Price can at worst be as good as Maeda. 

Kershaw

Buehler

Price

Urias

Wood 

May

[ChrisP]

30 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The former Red Sox infielder reported Tuesday on WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni & Fauria" that Boston offered Betts a 10-year, $300 million contract extension following the 2018 season. Betts countered with 12 years and $420 million, according to Merloni, and the deal fell through.

That gap of $120 million marked the third consecutive offseason the Red Sox and Betts were off by roughly $100 million in contract negotiations, citing the eight-year, $200 million offer Betts rejected following the 2017 season and the five-year, $100 million deal he turned down after the 2016 season.   https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/mlb-rumors-mookie-betts-red-sox-had-massive-gap-2019-contract-talks%3famp

 

How do you turn down those type of contracts? 5/100..ok, 10/300?!?!? and then have the #$% to ask for 12/240. Just wow...

[CallMeBrooksie]

3 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

How do you turn down those type of contracts? 5/100..ok, 10/300?!?!? and then have the #$% to ask for 12/240. Just wow...

Have you seen the back of his baseball card?

[ChrisP]

1 minute ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

Have you seen the back of his baseball card?

Can't say that I have.  It just astounds me a player could turn down 300 million. 

[Frobby]

41 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

How do you turn down those type of contracts? 5/100..ok, 10/300?!?!? and then have the #$% to ask for 12/240. Just wow...

 

37 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

Have you seen the back of his baseball card?

 

34 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

Can't say that I have.  It just astounds me a player could turn down 300 million. 

You can argue that Betts is the second best player in the game, behind Trout.   But it’s a pretty distant second.    If Trout is commanding 12/$430 and Harper is commanding 13/$330, then I’d say 12/$360 or so is about what Betts is worth, assuming he puts up a typical Betts year in 2020.    He’s better than Harper but will be two years older than Harper was when he was a free agent (and a year older than Trout was when he signed his extension.    He’s not going to get the 12/$420 mm he demanded from the Red Sox, but I do think he lands north of $300 mm.

[Redskins Rick]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

The former Red Sox infielder reported Tuesday on WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni & Fauria" that Boston offered Betts a 10-year, $300 million contract extension following the 2018 season. Betts countered with 12 years and $420 million, according to Merloni, and the deal fell through.

That gap of $120 million marked the third consecutive offseason the Red Sox and Betts were off by roughly $100 million in contract negotiations, citing the eight-year, $200 million offer Betts rejected following the 2017 season and the five-year, $100 million deal he turned down after the 2016 season.   https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/mlb-rumors-mookie-betts-red-sox-had-massive-gap-2019-contract-talks%3famp

 

Sounds like he is chasing the almighty dollar and getting everything he can get.

 

I found this quote, and while it appears that he wants the public to believe he is doing this for others, I dont buy it one iota.

Quote

ESPN’s Joon Lee reported Thursday, citing sources, that one of the main reasons Betts wants to become a free agent is that the 2018 American League MVP understands the importance of what his next contract means for the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/01/mlb-rumors-this-might-explain-why-mookie-betts-wants-to-test-free-agency/

 

[MountUrCastle]

2 hours ago, SteveA said:

They traded away ONE YEAR of Betts.

He was determined to test the market after this season.   And now that he has a choice in the matter, he probably doesn't want to play in Boston, a city that has a long reputation of not being a great place for African-American players.

So if they were fairly confident he was gone, you have to look at the deal as giving up 1 year of Betts for a potential 5 years of Verdugo.

A debate about Boston's ethics as a whole is something i'm not starting a conversation about on this board, even with how correct you are.

I don't think that's a strong enough reason to stop him from playing there however, especially given the past 20 years in Boston Red Sox Star History

2 hours ago, maybenxtyr said:

Even if they do not bring Betts back, this is a smart move. Trading Price helps out almost as much as the talent they brought back.

Do you remember how they benefitted from the last time LA bailed them out?

I have no clue how losing Price helps them out as he is a 3-4 WAR pitcher

[MountUrCastle]

1 hour ago, ChrisP said:

How do you turn down those type of contracts? 5/100..ok, 10/300?!?!? and then have the #$% to ask for 12/240. Just wow...

Bryce Harper is considerably a less good player and got 13/330.

Given the jump to 12/420 is a mere 5 million dollars a year.......... I don't see how the Sox could justify being picky over that, because once again they are one of the richest sports franchises, owned by a multi billionaire, who also owns another uber-rich sports franchise.

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

3 hours ago, SteveA said:

They traded away ONE YEAR of Betts.

He was determined to test the market after this season.   And now that he has a choice in the matter, he probably doesn't want to play in Boston, a city that has a long reputation of not being a great place for African-American players.

So if they were fairly confident he was gone, you have to look at the deal as giving up 1 year of Betts for a potential 5 years of Verdugo.

They were fairly confident he was gone because they low-balled him with a 10/$300M offer. Mookie Betts certainly should expect a contract better than what Machado got.

That one year of Betts is one year of having one of the best players in the game, with a roster absolutely capable of winning the World Series. They just won it in 2018. Verdugo is a solid player, but he isn't Betts. Not by a long shot.

Plain and simple, the Red Sox want to cut payroll. They traded Betts to save money. If I were a Red Sox fan, I'd be pretty livid.

[Frobby]

19 minutes ago, Mr. Chewbacca Jr. said:

They were fairly confident he was gone because they low-balled him with a 10/$300M offer. Mookie Betts certainly should expect a contract better than what Machado got.

That one year of Betts is one year of having one of the best players in the game, with a roster absolutely capable of winning the World Series. They just won it in 2018. Verdugo is a solid player, but he isn't Betts. Not by a long shot.

Plain and simple, the Red Sox want to cut payroll. They traded Betts to save money. If I were a Red Sox fan, I'd be pretty livid.

I already said I think Betts probably deserves something in the 12/$360 range. But remember, he’s not the same age as Manny was when he signed his deal.    He’s two years older, and on the back end those years are often very unproductive.   10/$300 mm to a player entering his age 26 season is not the same thing as 10/$300 mm to a player entering his age 28 season.    Just ask yourself, would you rather have a player’s age 26-27 seasons or his age 36-37 seasons?

[esmd]

I don't get it.  I just don't get it.  What kind of fetish do the Dodgers have with taking horrible contracts off of Boston's hands (as they did with Crawford, AGON, and Beckett some years ago)?  I wanted to see Boston choke on that Price deal for the next few years.  SMH.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

7 hours ago, MountUrCastle said:

Bryce Harper is considerably a less good player and got 13/330.

Given the jump to 12/420 is a mere 5 million dollars a year.......... I don't see how the Sox could justify being picky over that, because once again they are one of the richest sports franchises, owned by a multi billionaire, who also owns another uber-rich sports franchise.