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Pro (Trade Him!): Recouping assets
While there is growing optimism about a 2020 season, it will most certainly be a shortened season, impacting a team like the Dodgers who are built to prove out their talent over a 162-game schedule.
Does the relative value of Mookie Betts on a potential one-year rental decrease over a shortened season? Would the Dodgers have made the same trade knowing what they know now? There is a risk Betts never plays for the Dodgers before becoming a free agent next offseason.
President Andrew Friedman gave up a promising young outfielder in Alex Verdugo, along with two prospects for Betts’ services over what will now, at best, be a few months of playing time.
Perhaps pulling the trigger on a trade to send Joc Pederson out of town can help the Dodgers recoup some of the assets they lost in the Betts deal. With Pederson due to become a free agent next offseason, it would also give the Dodgers a chance to gain long-term value, rather than risk losing him, like Betts, for nothing.
The Dodgers have several candidates to fill in for Pederson’s at-bats in the lineup, so they could maintain their ability to compete at a high level this season, while restocking the prospect pool they were forced to skim in the Betts’ deal.