The long wait is finally over. Both Mookie Betts and David Price are now officially Dodgers. Per a Dodgers Press Release:The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired outfielder Mookie Betts, the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player, and left-handed pitcher David Price, the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner, and cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo, minor league infielder Jeter Downs and minor league catcher Connor Wong.As you know, it took quite some time for this trade to get completed, and there were numerous iterations and false starts involved. Heck, at one point we all thought the Dodgers would not relinquishing one farmhand. Now we know that two higher level Dodger prospects are involved -- Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. Additionally, a player thought to be going to the Red Sox, via a third team, is actually going to be a Dodger instead (but that's for another blog post).
These are exciting times for Dodger fans. They have won seven consecutive division championships, and it's likely they'll be adding an eighth in 2020. Will Betts and Price be enough to finally take home a World Series crown?Only time will tell.
What I do know is that the Dodgers have put themselves into the best possible position to win.
No Dodger team has been this stacked (at least not in my lifetime), and every club in the league should be looking at the Dodgers lineup and pitching staff with trepidation.
We mean business.
In celebration of this huge trade I made a bunch of custom fantasy Baseball cards featuring both Mookie Betts and David Price. Check them out all over this post. BTW, below is some background info on both players, provided in the Dodgers Press Release:
Betts, 27, joins the Dodgers after spending the last six seasons with Boston. In 794 games with Boston, he hit a combined .301 (965-for-3203) with 139 homers and 470 RBI, while being named an All-Star four straight years (2016-19) and winning four Gold Glove Awards (2016-19), three Silver Slugger Awards (‘16, 18-19) and the 2018 Most Valuable Player Award. In his MVP campaign, the Tennessee native hit .346 (180-for-520) with 32 homers and 80 RBI while leading the league in WAR (10.4) and coming in second in OPS (1.078). Last season, he hit .295 (176-for-597) with 29 homers and 80 RBI in 150 games while finishing first in the American League amongst right fielders in defensive runs saved (20). He finished fifth in the AL in OBP (.391) and 11th in OPS (.915) while leading AL right fielders with 10 outfield assists. He was originally drafted in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of John Everton High School (TN).
Price, 34, joins the Dodgers after spending the last four seasons with the Red Sox. The 12-year MLB veteran went 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA (51 ER/107.1 IP) and 128 strikeouts in 22 starts for the Red Sox last season. Prior to joining the Red Sox as a free agent in 2016, Price posted a career best 20-5 record with a 2.56 ERA (60 ER/211.0 IP) and 205 strikeouts against 59 walks and winning the 2012 Cy Young Award. The 5x All-Star, Cy Young Award winner and Two-Time ERA Leader (2012, 2015) is a combined 150-80 with a 3.31 ERA (746 ER/2029.2 IP) and 1,981 strikeouts against 527 walks in 321 games (311 starts) in his 12-year career. He was originally the first overall pick of the 2007 First Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University.You can follow Mookie Betts on twitter here: @mookiebetts. He happens to be a professional bowler with the PBA, so I hope he takes over the annual bowling event the Dodgers hold. He has bowled three sanctioned perfect games, on January 27, 2013; February 2, 2016; and November 12, 2017. Also, Mookie is first cousins once removed with former ballplayer Terry Shumpert. He is also an distant cousin of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
David Price can be followed here: @DAVIDprice24. Additionally, David Price has a foundation called "Project One Four" and it supports organizations that provide opportunities for the youth to learn life skills in a safe and supportive environment. Go here to learn more about it.
Below I've also included several links to news stories I thought pertinent:
- Via Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider -- "Dodgers acquire 2018 MVP Mookie Betts, five-time All-Star David Price."
- Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com -- "Mookie Betts is officially on his way to LA."
- Per David Schoenfield at ESPN -- "Mookie Betts to the Dodgers is done: Here's what you need to know."
- Via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors -- "Red Sox Announce Deal Sending Mookie Betts, David Price To Dodgers."
- Check this out, via Daren Williams on twitter (Hat Tip: Dodgers Low Down on twitter):
Animating all of Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger's home runs since 2015 overlaid at @Dodgers stadium. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/1pwFlbzvve— Daren Willman (@darenw) February 11, 2020
- Watch Joe Kelly's son from last year, via the Dodgers on tiwtter:
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 11, 2020
- Via Craig Edwards at FanGraphs -- "The Big Mookie Betts Deal Is Finally Happening, but the Dodgers-Angels Trade Isn’t."
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