The blockbuster trade that would send Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers has hit a snag: the Red Sox, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports, were “spooked” by the medical reports of Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol. Graterol is slated to join the Red Sox while the Dodgers are to send Kenta Maeda to Minnesota and Alex Verdugo to Boston.
Graterol, 21, has had Tommy John surgery and missed time in 2019 because of a shoulder injury. Passan says that, despite the concern, officials with all three teams involved remain confident the deal will be completed. It may, however, require some sort of work-around, be it an alteration to the amount of money changing hands in the deal or the substitution or addition of players to the deal. It could also transform back into a two-team deal involving just the Red Sox and Dodgers.
When news of this trade hit Tuesday night, it seemed to create discomfort with more Red Sox fans than it pleased. This news about the health of a key component of the deal and the delay in getting it finalized will likely only extend that discomfort, at least for the time being.
