The Mookie Betts trade chatter hasn’t quieted, according to multiple reports.
The Boston Red Sox remain engaged in trade discussions with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Sunday, citing sources. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported the same, writing “(Boston) is weighing potential combinations of big leaguers and prospects offered by the Padres, as well as the Dodgers.”
It’s also worth noting the Arizona Diamondbacks also are interested in Betts, according to Rosenthal, but they might be a long shot, as Rosenthal mentions they don’t possess the financial power or prospect arsenal enjoyed by Los Angeles and San Diego.
News of talks between the Red Sox and Padres broke Thursday night with The Athletic being first on the reports. And according to initial reports, Padres outfielder Wil Myers would be part of the return heading to Boston. Taking on Myers’ contract — he’s still owed roughly $60 million and has a $13 million AAV — would maximize the Red Sox’s return in prospects from San Diego’s highly touted farm system.
Fangraphs.com currently has the Padres’ farm system ranked second just behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The Padres currently have five prospects ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, all coming within the top 57 spots. The Red Sox, by comparison, have just one player in the top 100: infielder Triston Casas … at No. 77.
The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, who was the first to report on the talks between the Padres and Red Sox last week, tweeted Friday that San Diego catching prospect Luis Campusano was one of the players being discussed in a potential return. Campusano currently is MLB Pipeline’s No. 50 prospect.
In the Mookie Betts trade talks, catching prospect Luis Campusano is one player the Red Sox have expressed interest in. The Padres value him highly; Campusano, a Cal League co-MVP last season, is 79th on Baseball America’s top-100 list.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) January 24, 2020
As for the Dodgers, LA has long been considered a possible destination for Betts given its enviable combination of financial might and still well-stocked prospect pool. The Dodgers have Fangraphs’ No. 3 farm system and obviously has been unafraid to throw around its weight when it comes to spending. They’re one of probably just a handful of teams who could comfortably afford a Betts contract extension and might not be scared off by the outfielder having just one year left on his contract.
Of course, the initial report from The Athletic said a trade seemed unlikely and the industry consensus was Betts would be in Boston when the season began. From a Red Sox standpoint, it obviously wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to begin the season with a former MVP winner on the roster, especially considering the Red Sox are still good enough to contend in the American League if they’re able to stay healthy and play anywhere near their potential.
