Boston Red Sox would probably like to keep All-Star right fielder Mookie Betts for years to come, but the decision might be out of their hands. Betts still hasn’t agreed to an extension, showing intention to enter the free agency following the 2020 MLB season, which forced Red Sox to start thinking about trading the 27-year-old.
In his recent ESPN+ piece, MLB Insider Buster Olney wrote that Red Sox are exploring the market for Betts and presented the interested teams with an asking price. And it isn’t cheap.
Olney reports that Boston intends to get both out of bad contracts and get “two high-end prospects” in any deal involving Betts. The player that Red Sox would like to ship off is David Price and his $96 million deal, with Nathan Eovaldi being the second choice.
Although nominally the Red Sox’s starting pitcher, Price hasn’t exactly lived up to his seven-year, $217 million contract he signed with the organization ahead of the 2016 MLB season. That was especially the case in the past season, as he only played 22 games, posting 7-5 records with 4.28 ERA and 128 strikeouts.
While the asking price is high, some teams might decide to meet it, especially if they believe they can sign Mookie Betts to an extension. Betts is one of the best players in baseball at his position and was a key contributor in Red Sox’s World Series run in 2018, winning the AL MVP in the process. He is also a four-time All-Star with three Silver Slugger and four Golden Glove awards.
Betts played 150 games in 2019, batting .295 with 29 home runs, and 135 RBIs.
