McAdam: Five Questions in the Aftermath of Mookie Betts/David Price trade

The Red Sox have yet to make their three-team deal from Tuesday night official, but here are five questions in search of answers in the wake of the trade.

1. Did they get enough in return?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: it's complicated.

The Red Sox were not dealing from a position of strength, even given what they surrendered. Mookie Betts had only a year of control remaining, was due to make $27 million in 2020 and had given no indication that he was open to signing an extension anywhere else. That limited the Sox in their dealings.

In Alex Verdugo and Brusdar Graterol, they got two very talented young players. Verdugo has the potential to be an All-Star outfielder and he's under control for five seasons. Graterol could be a No. 2 starter and is under control for six seasons. If both reach their potential, the Red Sox will have gotten a middle-of-the-order bat and a plus defender and an elite starter -- something they've failed to develop on their own -- for at least a five-year stretch.

But some context is necessary.



Let's divide the trade in half. If you look at getting Graterol for Price, the Sox paid down half of Price's remaining money to get themselves a top pitching prospect in return for a 34-year-old with significant injury concerns. That's a good deal.

But that leaves you with Betts for Verdugo, which doesn't seem like an adequate return for one of the best players in the game. Yes, five years of control versus one is a huge aspect of this.

But contrast that to, say, what the Arizona Diamondbacks got in return for one year of Paul Goldschmidt a year ago. Had the Sox received a second good prospect from a loaded Dodgers system, it might be easier to say they did close to full value here. But they didn't.

2. What are the plans for Verdugo and Graterol?

It's assumed that Verdugo will take over for Betts in right field. He has a plus arm and is considered an above-average defender, necessary traits for handling right in Fenway.

It's possible, too, that Verdugo could replace Betts as the team's leadoff hitter. Verdugo had a .342 OBP last year with the Dodgers and in his final year in the minors (2018), got on base at a .391 clip. And it's not like there are any other obvious candidates to hit leadoff on the current roster.

As for Graterol, Price's departure leaves a gaping hole in the Boston rotation, but Graterol is unlikely to fill it right away. He hasn't started in the big leagues (he made 10 relief appearances for the Twins at the end of last season). In fact, his workload has been limited. He missed all of 2016 with Tommy John surgery and has topped only 100 innings (102 in 2018) just once.

In the view of most evaluators, he needs more time to develop as a starter. The likely plan would be to start him at Triple-A, and if he's ready, add him to the major league rotation in mid-season.

3. Would the Sox have been better off moving Price in a separate deal?

Perhaps such a strategy would have yielded a better return. Some believe the inclusion of Price in the deal limited what the Sox got back even though they've reportedly agreed to take back approximately half his remaining $96 million.

Then again, consider that Chaim Bloom spent much of the past offseason trying to move Price, with little to show for his effort.

With the Dodgers intent on making the deal for Betts, Bloom took the opportunity to package Price into the trade, unloading $48 million or so and landing a very good pitching prospect.

4. Now that they're (considerably) under the first CBT threshold, what do the Red Sox do with the savings?

For the time being, nothing. Yes, the Sox' roster still has holes, including a big one in the starting rotation. And yes, there are still some veteran free agents available.

But do the names Andrew Cashner, Jason Vargas, Clay Buchholz or Aaron Sanchez excite you? Because they're the best in the remainders bin.

The rotation currently consists of Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez and Martin Perez. It's likely that the Sox use that fifth spot to experiment with the opener concept. That would be an ideal way to introduce, someone like Tanner Houck to the rigors of the big leagues.

5. Could the Red Sox still sign Betts when/if he hits the free-agent market?

Could they? Sure. Will they? Doubtful.

The Sox will have successfully re-set their tax rate and could go back over the CBT threshold by outbidding the field to bring Betts back to Boston.

The Red Sox tried this strategy once before with Jon Lester after trading him away at the deadline in 2014 and it didn't go well. They didn't come close to the bids from the San Francisco Giants or the Chicago Cubs.

There is precedent for trading a player a year before free agency, then re-signing him later. The Yankees did it with closer Aroldis Chapman after 2016. But those instances are rare.

As Lester himself noted, once a player experiences what life is like beyond his original organization, it becomes much easier to sign elsewhere.

And then there's the magnitude of the ask. If the Sox, on numerous occasions, couldn't come close to narrowing the gap between what they believed to be fair value and what Betts thought he was worth, why will that change in 10 months?