New rumors suggest that the Los Angeles Dodgers are now more inclined to make a trade for Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts than they are for another player that has long been linked to the team, Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.
In a report published Thursday by MLB.com , Jon Paul Morosi wrote that with the new year underway, the Dodgers and Indians have not made much progress in the rumored trade talks for Lindor. As he pointed out, Cleveland is reportedly interested in young infielder Gavin Lux, but Los Angeles has no plans to include the 22-year-old in any transaction where Lindor is the only Indians player involved.
According to Morosi, the Dodgers’ apparent reluctance to part ways with Lux has led the team to ramp up on its efforts to acquire Betts from the Red Sox, as the team may even be “more involved” in trying to land the 2018 American League MVP than they are in their pursuit of Lindor. The MLB.com insider added that these talks with Boston are more “dynamic” as the Red Sox don’t covet Lux as much as the Indians do, but also cautioned that any potential deal involving Betts may require Los Angeles to move multiple players in order to acquire the superstar outfielder.
Rumors regarding the chances of Betts becoming a Dodger are nothing new. Last month, The Inquisitr reported that per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles was in “exploratory” talks with Boston regarding a possible trade for Betts, who helped lead the Red Sox to a win over the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series. The 27-year-old right fielder is set to enter his seventh year with Boston and will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 MLB season wraps up.
Mookie Betts is 3-for-3 with 3 home runs ?
This marks the 4th consecutive day a player has hit 3 HR, extending the MLB record ?
(via @RedSox ) pic.twitter.com/ran32WwrmB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 27, 2019
Betts isn’t the only Red Sox player whom the Dodgers may be chasing in the lead-up to the upcoming MLB season. As noted by Morosi, the team is hoping to upgrade its pitching rotation — which recently lost Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu to free agency — and could show interest in left-hander David Price, who will be making $96 million over the next three years for Boston.
However, even if one considers the possible “salary relief” Boston could enjoy by trading Price, Morosi added that the organization’s new chief baseball officer, Chaim Bloom, likely won’t part ways with Price and/or Betts unless the Red Sox can get a good return on the deal. As such, he suggested that the organization might request the Dodgers to give up a young starting pitcher such as Tony Gonsolin or Dustin May in order for the trade to be considered.
