Off-Topic Forum

It looks as Mookie Betts and David Price are headed to the LA Dodgers. This hurts.

Whoa! Good deal for both sides. Alex Verdugo is a great player and will shine in Beantown. Helps get the BoSox on the right path to get under the luxury tax treshhold as well. 

Has this been finalized?

Yes.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28636934/red-sox-agree-trade-mookie-betts-david-price-dodgers

Pending physicals, and then it's done. 

Thank you for sharing.  I am very happy with this deal.  Alex Verdugo will turn into a good player.  Going to Dodger Stadium this year will be extra special.

Verdugo is going to struggle plain and simple. And it's not just playing in Boston, it's the expectations, unfair or not not, of replacing a franchise icon. He may put up great numbers, but because he isn't Mookie the fans aren't going to fully embrace him. He'll have to create his own path and not cave to the media or the fan's expectations. 

As a Dodgers fan, I hate losing Verdugo to Boston and Kenta Maeda to Minnesota. But adding Mookie Betts to our starting lineup is definitely awesome. I expect he'll put up fantastic numbers in his walk year this season. It's the Dodgers' hope that they can re-sign him after the season. If the young guys like Gavin Lux, Will Smith and Dustin May have good seasons, then we may very well surpass our 2019 total of 106 wins. I agree with Brendan that going to Dodger games this year will be extra special.

I haven't been this upset to lose a player since Lynn, Fisk, and Burleson left after the 1980 season. I understand the business reasons behind it, but as a fan, I still don't like it. Hopefully Verdugo will pan out. There are a lot of people very high on him, but he will be stepping into a pressure situation. 

As a Red Sox fan, this sucks. Mookie is a great player, fun to watch, and easy to like. This is exactly the kind of player you want on your team for his entire career. Losing him makes this year's team less enjoyable, and you can't help but feel a little deflated that they traded away a Hall Of Fame player in his prime.

That being said, I get it. Betts has made it perfectly clear he was going to test the free agent market and set that pay bar higher. He's earned that and I hope he gets it. (The Red Sox not paying him well into his late 30's will eventually take the sting off too). Given the choice of a compensation pick and this, I'd pick this every time. Verdugo seems like he could have a very solid career, maybe even an All-Star caliber one, and as the rumors kept flying he was the one guy I told myself the Sox had to come away with. The more I read about this former Twins prospect too, the more I'm comfortable with the return. I don't have high expectations for this year, but the team will be in good shape in the years that follow.

Good luck in Los Angeles Mookie and Dave!