Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: ESPN’s Buster Olney Believes Strongly in Mookie Betts to LA

Updated on Wednesday at 10:42 pm PT

These Mookie Betts talks are surely heating up. The Dodgers and the San Diego Padres appear to be the current front-runners to acquire his services. Reporters continue to add more fuel to the fire as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently stated that the Padres were the front-runners to land Betts, but that the Dodgers could swoop in and take him with ease.



Now, Buster Olney of ESPN is adding fuel to the fire. On Wednesday, Olney responded to a Twitter reply asking about the Dodgers’ chances of acquiring Mookie Betts. The long-time reporter is very reputable and does not typically respond to messages like this:

An 8.5 is a very high number. Personally, I do not believe their chances are that high, but Olney is very plugged in with many front offices because of his extensive tenure, so he is likely hearing chatter that makes him believe that. He would know better than most.

Earlier this month — just after Boston let manager Alex Cora go — chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said he fully expects Betts to be on the opening day roster for the Red Sox. However, with reports coming in that the 2018 All-Star rejected a contract extension from Boston, it appears likely that he wants out and it could be to Los Angeles.

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Could Betts be traded some time in February before spring training begins? It should be noted that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman did allude to the fact that the club is likely not done looking to improve ahead of the 2020 campaign.

The potential lineup with Mookie Betts in tow would be outstanding (it already is) and the outfield defense would become even more wild. The Dodgers have a chance to make a gargantuan move here and the time to strike is now.

UPDATE: 

An apparent ESPN radio host in Houston named Patrick Creighton is reporting that there could be a deal close to getting done.

https://twitter.com/PCreighton1/status/1222736381417590784

No other reports are surfacing in support of this claim, so we urge you to take it with a grain of salt at this time.

NEXT: Fans Still View Team Favorably Despite Lack of Off-Season Moves

Daniel Preciado

My name is Daniel Preciado and I am 19 years old. I am a sophomore Sport Analytics major and Cognitive Science and Economics dual minor at Syracuse University. When I am not in New York, I live in Whittier, California --- not too far from Chavez Ravine. I am pretty old-school for being an analytics guy and I will always embrace debate. Also, Chase Utley did absolutely nothing wrong.

23 Comments

  1. OMG! Please, and I safely can speak somewhat for other fans here…give this a rest..Betts is NOT COMING to Dodgers, and part of that simply is Boston still wanting top end prospects, MLB players, and salary relief, all for just a 1 year rental.

    1. Pursue Betts. Pursue Arenado. Pursue a frontine starting pitcher to go along with Buehler and Kershaw. But I’m rumored out. I’m tired of rumors. Maybe I have ancestors from Missouri. SHOW ME. Just do it. Then let us all know. Spring training is around the corner. Play ball.

      1. Rumors makes Friedman look good so that every Dodger fan thinks he is doing something. Name something great in last 5-6 years of off season he has done.other than resigning their own players. Pollack and Kelly-lol

  2. They only way the Dodgers step in is if they feel he is going to the Padres. Otherwise, they wait until the trade deadline. Right now, they have no need of a full year of Betts. In the same way that their only free agent play was Cole, their only trade deadline play is Betts. They don’t intend to do anything else.

  3. So the Dodgers ticket sales are down already I suppose! Quick, P.R. and sales dept!! Have Olney spread some more hype!!

  4. Same routine every time. a fake rumor comes about and everyone in the media jumps on it and says the Dodgers are sure to make this deal. Haven’t they said it with every single big name this offseason? These people have made themselves completely not credible

  5. It’s almost laughable that these writers still put this stuff out there, as though Dodgers’ fans haven’t figured this out yet. Kasten and Friedman leak a bunch of rumors to the Olney-types, so the writers can then regurgitate to fans. Then year after year, nothing happens, except of course, the payroll keeps going down and profits keep going up. The Dodgers only show interest in Betts so that teams like San Diego have to up their ante and ultimately overpay. That’s what they did with Cole. There is absolutely zero chance that Betts is coming to the Dodgers.
    P.S. Given that the Dodgers would never give Betts a long-term deal after the season, I don’t even want him for one year at the cost of top prospects.

  6. Moooookie! 30 home runs and a 300 batting average! We may not be able to keep him but oh what a year it would be.

  7. will be fun seeing what new rumors spring up given the Bryant-Cubs grievance has been settled hiving Cubs the decision of two years control rather than just this season.

    I still don’t really like either move for Bryant or Betts. I just don’t see significant benefit above the longer term costs in terms of traded talent. I say roll those dice and maybe find way to add a #1/2 SP? not a fan of a trade just for trade’s sake.

  8. “(Fill in the blank expert from fill in the blank website) said (fill in the day) the Dodgers are very interested in (fill in the blank superstar). The (fill in the superstar’s team) wants Gavin Lux and Dustin May and (fill in the names of two Tulsa Drillers). Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts both reiterated that they like the Dodgers depth and versatility and are looking to add a piece or two to get them ready for the playoffs.” Yawn.

    1. Yep. It’s like “Days of Our Life”. “As the Rumor Mill Turns, So Are Stories That Pass For News”.
      At least nobody gets pregnant.

    1. Maybe their plan was to see how disgruntled the fan base would be with the failure to add any impact players again this off season right before spring training. After the fan fest wasn’t attended as fruitful as they expected, they may be realizing that a lot of us are serious about the boycott.

  9. Betts is an outstanding player, and every team would love to have him. The problem is that the Dodgers don’t need more offense, they need more pitching & defense. And yes, Betts provides great defense, but his price is high because of his offense.

    Teams win WS titles with pitching and defense, not with offense. The Dodgers have failed three consecutive seasons because they place too much emphasis on offense and not enough on pitching and defense. This is typical of teams that rely heavily on sabermetrics and analytics, instead of on their knowledge and understanding of baseball.

    Would the Dodgers be a better team with Betts or Arenado? Of course. Any team would. They’re two of the best players in baseball, and both are exceptional defensively. (Arenado is unquestionably the best defensive 3rd baseman in baseball, and a certain Hall-of-Famer.)

    But if the Dodgers really want to win the WS, they have to focus on strengthening their starting rotation, their bullpen, and their infield & outfield defense. And they have to stop relying so heavily on Jansen, who’s a good – but not great – closer.

    The Dodgers have talent, but they don’t have the pitching, defense, or 25-player depth required to win the WS. They’re not as much a “team” as they are a group of players with some outstanding individual talents scattered about here and there (most notably Kershaw, Bellinger, & Turner).

    1. Mookie wants $400 mil for 12 years ???

      Only if knows his paycheck , after tax , will loose more than half of what’s worth at the contract’s end since the dollar will eventually tank and erode present dollar value.

      Nahhh , he ain’t that financially savvy. Not a player with a high school diploma.

      Someone ought to put a stop at this nonsense. A teacher makes 40k a year and these clowns want ransom money ?

      No in hell they think they are ?

  10. Get the guy who bangs on the trash can. It is worth 5 million for a world series. Why pay 300 million for betts?

  11. Dumb article,Why would Dodgers try getting a cheater,especially that he cheated against you in the world series.He should be suspended for life along with his teammates and the astros.And investigate Manfred maybe he got paid a lot of money so he wouldn’t suspend these cheaters.

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