Boston Red Sox hypothetical fire sale: Five potential trade ideas
By Rick McNair
Mookie Betts to Dodgers
Do you trade the face of the franchise? What can you get for value? Betts may be unsignable and may just be waiting for his eventual truckload of money. Bryce Harper was discussed as a $400 MM player – Mookie is better. Mookie may be unsignable and with this scenario, the Red Sox are looking to go under $100 MM payroll.
Just who could afford Betts? There are teams with prospects to offer, but payroll limitations exclude them. Somehow I do not picture Betts in right field at Tropicana Field or with the Royals at Kauffman Field.
The Dodgers have one player who could give the Red Sox an additional three-year window on free agency – Cody Bellinger. The left-hand power hitter is suffering from a “sophomore slump” that sometimes turns into a career signal for major disappointment. Bellinger is no five-tool player such as Betts but is a nice piece to start with.
The Dodgers have a rich farm system ranked as one of the best on MLB Pipeline. Looking over their system is a variety of options and I would expect no less than their number one prospect – Alex Verdugo a left-hand hitting outfielder.
"One of the best pure hitting prospects in baseball, Verdugo recognizes pitches and controls the strike zone better than most players his age. He uses the whole field, repeatedly barreling balls with a quick left-handed stroke geared for line drives. – MLB Prospect Watch"
Verdugo does not have the power of Betts, but his hitting is easily in the top ten in the Pacific Coast League (AAA), That, however, is the PCL and hitting league it certainly is, but Verdugo has a swing that may be a Benintendi swing clone.