Trade rumors have surrounded 2018 American League MVP Mookie Betts for months now.
With the Red Sox looking to cut payroll and Betts headed for free agency next winter, the choice for Boston seemed to entail either getting a haul of prospects in a trade or run the risk of Betts walking after 2020.
But despite the chatter, multiple executives told Jeff Passan of ESPN that they do not expect to see the Red Sox involve Betts in a trade this offseason. Instead, Boston will look to dump some of its expensive pitchers:
Multiple executives this week said they believe a potential trade involving 2018 American League MVP Mookie Betts is unlikely to happen. The Boston Red Sox, who are looking to cut payroll, instead are trying to move salary in the form of a pitcher — either David Price or Nathan Eovaldi. Which is all well and good, except that to do so, the Red Sox will need to include someone of value.
Betts is expected to make $27.7 million in his final year of arbitration, according to spotrac. Although moving him would clear payroll, it is also a double-edged sword.
Firstly, Betts is unquestionably one of the best players in baseball. He ranks second among all players in fWAR between 2015 and 2019, and he still produced 6.6 fWAR and a 135 wRC+ in a “down” 2019 season.
Secondly, not many teams are willing to part with top prospects for a potential rental. The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres are a couple of teams with intriguing pieces for a possible Betts deal, but it does not seem likely that they would gamble their future on Betts re-signing next winter.
For those reasons, Betts will likely be on Boston's Opening Day roster in 2020. Perhaps the two sides will even reach an extension, though it had not been discussed as of last month.
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