Red Sox Agree to Trade Betts, Price to Dodgers

BOSTON (AP) — Banking on Mookie Betts to be the missing piece in their World Series pursuit, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally pulled off a blockbuster deal with the cost-cutting Red Sox.

Boston agreed to trade the 2018 AL MVP to the Dodgers on Tuesday night, according to two people with knowledge of the deal, packaging Betts with left-hander David Price in a salary dump designed to save the Red Sox tens of millions of dollars and help them dip below baseball’s luxury tax threshold.

The Dodgers, eager for a World Series title after losing in the 2017 and ’18 Fall Classics, are sending outfielder Alex Verdugo back to the Red Sox. The deal also involves the Minnesota Twins, who are getting right-hander Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers and sending pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to Boston. Los Angeles will also get cash from Boston to offset some of the $123 million owed to Betts and Price, but the exact amount was not yet known.

Do-Hyoung Park writing for MLB.com says the Twins will add a consistent, durable pitcher in Maeda to a suddenly deep group of veteran starters that gives the club plenty of options and insurance down the stretch.

Graterol is a hard-throwing righty who ranked 83rd on MLB.com’s most recent list of the top 100 prospects in baseball.