The Dodgers apparently weren’t the only big-market club interested in acquiring Mookie Betts.
Betts, who along with David Price officially was traded to Los Angeles on Monday, reportedly also was sought after by the Mets, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. Sherman reports the Mets “made numerous calls and exchanged several various concepts with the Red Sox” before conversations fizzled out after December.
New York, according to Sherman, was not open to the idea of moving 2019 All-Star Jeff McNeil, who reportedly was “integral” for the Red Sox in any potential deal involving Betts.
“The Mets offered packages centered around Brandon Nimmo or J.D. Davis and one of their top infield prospects, Andres Gimenez or Ronny Mauricio,” Sherman wrote. “But that did not muster enough traction, especially because to make any deal work the Mets were going to have to counteract Betts’ $27 million 2020 salary by likely including Yoenis Cespedes and Jed Lowrie.”
Not only were the Red Sox able to acquire a pair of bright young talents from the Dodgers, but they also were able to shed some of the remaining money in Price’s contract. While none of the Mets players listed above are slouches, finances clearly were of the utmost importance for Boston in any Betts-related deal. The Red Sox likely wouldn’t have been able to lower themselves from the luxury tax threshold in any deal with the Mets.
New York, however, probably will have another opportunity to acquire Betts in the not-so-distant future, if it so desires. While he remained coy about during Wednesday’s introductory press conference in Los Angeles, Betts sure seems bound for free agency next winter.
