Boston Red Sox acquire:
Los Angeles Dodgers acquire:
- Mookie Betts
This trade is one that fits for both the Red Sox and the Dodgers. Let’s start with the Red Sox side of things.
Chaim Bloom was not brought in to just keep the roster the way it is. No, he came in to restructure and re-imagine it, and I think that he and the organization would benefit from gaining three attractable players.
Ross Stripling is a pitcher who hasn’t really gotten a full chance to show what he has got with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stripling has only pitched in 65 games over the span of the last two years while relievers on his team like Kenley Jansen–who has struggled in the regular season in the last two seasons–has appeared in 131 games.
Some people don’t remember this but he was an All-Star in 2018, so he has the ability to really impact the Red Sox bullpen, who struggled last season.
Tony Gonsolin, 25, is another reliever that has the potential to be an impact pitcher out of the bullpen. Although it is a small amount of work, Gonsolin pitched to a 2.93 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 40 innings of work. And I think Chaim Bloom would be able to trade for Gonsolin because he isn’t going to get many chances in the Dodgers bullpen, which includes the likes of Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, and now Blake Treinen.
A.J. Pollock is another key piece of the trade, and I understand why some Boston fans wouldn’t want to take on his contract. But he is going to get paid a base contract of $12 million, which is almost half of what Mookie Betts would be paid in 2020, which saves Boston at least $15 million.
And while Boston will likely lose Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. is going to be a free agent after 2020 and there’s no guarantee he is going to stay which would leave two holes in the outfield if they didn’t get back an outfielder like Pollock in a trade.
While the Red Sox would lose Betts, they would be getting back more value in a trade with Los Angeles than they would if they let Betts walk away (a compensation pick).