Dodgers: Rosenthal Says Mookie Betts is Getting Traded, Padres Still in Mix

Everyone’s favorite bow tie sporter Ken Rosenthal was on MLB Network this morning. He said some things that make it clear Mookie Betts will be traded.

"This is going to happen, Mookie Betts is getting traded. The only question is when and where." – @Ken_Rosenthal #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/417CDtLOa3

---

---

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 3, 2020

A Move Is Imminent

When asked if the Red Sox were any closer to trading Mookie Betts, Ken Rosenthal dropped a bomb.

“I would not be be surprised if it happened today or tomorrow. The talks have continued over the weekend. There seems to be a good amount of momentum for the Dodgers. The Dodgers could certainly make a cleaner deal with the Red Sox, simply because they don’t have to include Wil Myers like the Padres do.”

This meshes with rumors from over the weekend that reportedly had trade packages and “consensus deals” in place.

Before we dig in, let’s continue with Kenny and the Padres talk.

 Padres Are Also Still in Play, Money an Issue

Rosenthal made sure to specify that the Dodgers aren’t alone in these talks.

“According to people I spoke with yesterday the Padres are still engaged with the Padres (as of) yesterday so obviously it’s not over.”

We have seen this game before, unfortunately. It is a business tactic older than sports itself; drive people to the deal table by scaring them into thinking somebody else is going to buy it first.

Still, for Boston, their overarching goal is to shed salary — that’s the only reason you trade your 27-year-old MVP. And while Los Angeles has the payroll flexibility to make a play on both Betts and even David Price, conversations with the Padres have a Wil Myers sized issue that could be a splinter in the deal.

That is crazy. However, from an AAV perspective, Myers only counts towards $13.8M against the luxury tax. Still, if the Dodgers can’t beat that, there will be a lot of mad Dodgers fans.

— Tim Rogers 2080 ??subscriber: (@TimRogers2080) February 3, 2020

Rosenthal continues.

However this goes down — Padres, Dodgers; Betts, Price, or Betts alone — there is going to be a significant amount of cash involved.

Not Just Rosenthal, Nightengale Also Adding Hype

Every baseball fan’s favorite superstition when it comes to moves is the ‘curse of Bob Nightengale.’ To be fair, Nightengale has gotten a lot of them right lately. Bob tweeted out his own version of the deals on the table.

The #Redsox report to spring training camp in eight days and the biggest surprise will be if Mookie Betts is still wearing a Red Sox uniform and not in Phoenix in #Dodgers camp with David Price joining him. The Dodgers are trying to get Red Sox to pay part of Price’s contract.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 3, 2020

While Bob Nightengale’s tweet sure could use some brevity, it paints a similar picture. At the end of the day, it’s very believable and realistic that the only haggling left between Boston and LA, is David Price’s monstrous contract.

Verdugone?

Will Dodger fans be happy enough to accept a former MVP and elite defender if it means they’ll have to say goodbye to young talent? Alex Verdugo has always had the best bat-to-ball skills of any of the Dodgers prospects since Corey Seager was still in the minors. Is it worth sending Verdugo to Boston for one season of Mookie Betts?

Based on Rosenthal, Nightengale, and every other Twitter account claiming to have sources, it looks like Dodger fans should expect resolution early this week.

NEXT: How Does Mookie Fit in with the Dodgers?