It seemed to be a one horse race for Betts as the Padres never felt like a real landing spot in a trade, it just makes little sense unless they could get him to sign an extension before Free Agency which ain't happening and the deal eventually got done.
We all know the heartbreaks that the Dodgers have been through over the last decade or so and throughout all of that Andrew Friedman and even his predecessor, Ned Colleti have been unwilling to give up top prospects in a trade, for the most part it has worked out for them, Bellinger, Buehler and Seager headline a crop of young talent that makes this team a perennial contender for the pennant, but they never won the big one and seeing the Astros winning it all with the addition of Justin Verlander made LA fans wonder if a more aggressive approach was required.
Andrew Friedman made significant trades, acquiring Manny Machado and Yu Darvish on back to back years during the trade deadline, but putting aside the fact Betts is better than both, he never gave up such a prized asset as Alex Verdugo. Baseball is such a unique sport that in the postseason you never know what to expect, this trade gives the Dodgers a better chance to end their drought, but it's no guarantee.
This trade reminds me a lot of when the Cubs acquired Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees at the deadline, and here is why:
1: Most of the time in these big trades the selling team will eventually get more value, in terms of production, but in both cases with Chapman and Betts it's undeniable. Gleyber Torres at the time a incredibly touted prospect was bound to become a key component for the Yankees unless something completely unexpected happened and he has, the same goes for Alex Verdugo. He already was a 2 win player on limited time last season.
Andrew Friedman and Theo Epstein are smart individuals, they knee what they were giving up, but at some point they conceded to giving up more value for a chance to win the World Series, more importantly to end s drought, if the Dodgers win both World Series or at least one I am not sure they do this deal, at least not under these conditions. The pressure to provide a response is big enough that they'll go just a little outside of their comfort zone.
Giving up Verdugo is painful, his value is off the charts, but for a team so loaded as the Dodgers, this move will not handicap them going forward, the pool of talent remains huge and they pair up (Bellinger and Betts) easily two of the five best position players in all of baseball.
2: Like I said both teams in very similar situations, a loaded squad, the pressure of a drought and with that the pressure to make a move when everybody knows you are the perfect match for the trade The Dodgers didn't necessarily have a hole, but with such a flexible squad that they could probably acquire a player of any position and plug him in.
I want to take a moment to praise Friedman for finding a way to get another team to send a prospect to the Red Sox by basically swapping Maeda with Price. With the money he gets from Boston to cover some of Price's salary it really isn't that big of a loss as long as he stays relatively healthy.
A quick thing I'd like to point out is that David Price might not be the ace he once was but the man can still pitch, his FIP last year was 3.62 he is far from washed up.
The bottom line is that if the Dodgers win the Series it will all be worth it, even if Verdugo turns out to be the next Christian Yelich, well let's not go that far, but for a Dodgers' organization that will be competitive for the foreseeable future, losing one great prospect won't affect their competitive status as if would with the majority of other teams.
As always feel free to comment, share and much more. This is a sports blog that will cover maknkgy football, baseball, soccer, but I keep an open mind. Let me know any topic you have in mind.
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