⚾ Welcome To Los Angeles, Mookie Betts

The Dodgers landed one of the biggest players possible in a trade with the Red Sox. Is he the missing piece? [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: The Dodgers have swung the first blockbuster trade of the year ... Julian Edelman tries to tug at Tom Brady’s heartstrings ... and Charlotte Flair could announce her WrestleMania match tonight. Stung by gloomy recent endings to otherwise spectacular seasons, bruised by the angered belief they had a World Series stolen from them, frustrated at being thwarted in the hunt for major off-season targets, the Los Angeles Dodgers had their big day of the winter on Tuesday. In a blockbuster deal, the Dodgers swung for the metaphorical fences by landing Mookie Betts and David Price from the Boston Red Sox, a move that is an overwhelming statement of “win now” — one that took any sense of caution and launched it deep over the bleachers of Chavez Ravine. Betts, most people’s idea of the second-best baseball player in the world behind Mike Trout, is all the things you want to see if you’re hungry to land the first championship in 31 years. He is 27 and in the epicenter of his prime, a clubhouse dynamo, an explosive presence with a proven track record and the ability — and willingness — to take key situations by the scruff of the neck and bend them to his will. Yet he also comes at a cost, with an initial price of the $27 million remaining on his contract, the parting of ways with pitcher Kenta Maeda (sent to Minnesota as part of a three-way deal), some prospects and the looming specter of uncertainty. [STORY IMAGE 1] For Betts’ deal is up at the end of this coming campaign, meaning that in theory, Dodgers general manager Andrew Friedman has bet big — mightily big — for what could turn out to be a single season of an outstanding player. The Dodgers have topped 90 wins and won the National League West each of the past seven seasons, each time going into October with high hopes that were ultimately dashed. In some ways, this is Friedman’s strongest move, with none of the usual caveats and get-outs and protective measures. If this trade doesn’t work, there isn’t much of a silver lining. However, they will like their chances of keeping hold of Betts, having resisted the temptation to give out restrictive long-term deals to middle tier players. And if this turned out to be the Dodgers’ Kawhi Leonard moment, a single year of a superstar that turned into a championship, it would be worth it. Los Angeles haven’t lacked for talent. There has been no shortage of thunderous arms and big bats. The fact that the Dodgers won 106 games last year says all you need to know about their resources. [STORY IMAGE 2] But there was always just a fraction of something missing, whether it was fairness in the loss to the Houston Astros or a difference maker able to get them over the line in back-to-back World Series appearances in 2017 and 2018. Maybe Betts is that guy. For now, his biggest contribution could be to inject some positive momentum back into the organization and its fan base to replace the anger of the Astros sign-stealing furor. The Dodgers tried to get better in the early part of winter but Friedman could not hook Gerrit Cole, who tied his flag to the New York Yankees’ mast when the pinstripes zoomed in with a heftier offer. Anthony Rendon was the next big target, but the club found out to its dismay that he had no desire to live in Los Angeles, and instead plumped for the quieter realities of Orange County, settling in with the Angels on a bumper deal. [STORY IMAGE 3] The Dodgers already had the best lineup in the National League and now it has an even mightier look to it. Adding Betts to a list including the likes of Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner and Max Muncy is a bulky unit. (Shortly after the Betts trade, reports emerged that young outfielder Joc Pederson is being traded to the Angels, to free up a bit of space in the crowded outfield and really drive home what an embarrassment of riches the Dodgers have stockpiled and developed over the past few years.) And while Price has some injury concerns looming over him, he would be a welcome addition to any postseason roster. He was effective the last time he was there, when the Red Sox toppled the Dodgers in five two years back. Big trades often look very different a couple of years later than they do on the day they are inked. Right now, it looks like a pretty good one for the Dodgers, albeit one that comes with an expiring shot clock. [STORY IMAGE 4] Betts wants to cash in big at the end of his existing contract, with his eye set on $400 million plus in total money, the kind of lucre that only Trout has managed to secure. However much he likes Los Angeles, however well he blends in, whatever goodwill the Dodgers build up with him over the next year, that’s what it will take to keep him. There is enough flexibility to take on that load. But they didn’t get him for next season or the next five years, they got him to win now. “Just like that, the Dodgers are the favorites to go back to the World Series for the third time in four years,” USA TODAY baseball writer Bob Nightengale said after the Betts trade. “It is a steal for the Dodgers.” There are no guarantees in baseball. We have seen that with these Dodgers, and with the fire-throwing corps of the Astros this season. We saw the Washington Nationals part ways with Bryce Harper and win the World Series, and the Philadelphia Phillies splash more than $300 million on Harper and miss the postseason. For all its sabermetrics, baseball has rarely been more unpredictable. It is a race to improve your chances, and the Dodgers just took a step in the right direction. Is it enough to make the final step to a championship? Only time will tell. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Tim Brown, Yahoo Sports: “The Red Sox would argue they’d gotten themselves into this semi- (and temporary) mess — $240 million for a third-place team in 2019 — because of their commitment to so many previous todays. That is probably true. It is also why they fly four World Series banners hung since 2004. Keep throwing yourself at it, be somewhat clever, get a little lucky, parades can happen. Not in L.A., but about everywhere else.” Matt Collins, Over the Monster: “I think the part of this that is bothering me the most is that David Price was included in this deal. Moving Betts is bad enough, but if you decide as an organization that you are going to take this path, it’s unfathomable to prioritize payroll over a talented return. It seems pretty clear to me that they made their return worse by adding Price in, even eating half of his salary. Maybe I’m wrong and this was the level they were getting back either way, but I’m struggling to see how that could be the case.” Stephanie Apstein, Sports Illustrated: “This is a mistake on every level. It’s hard to play baseball well. It’s harder to do it in the piranha tank of Boston. Betts has proven he can do both. He is a leader in the clubhouse — one whose presence would surely be helpful as the Red Sox navigate a season marred by an MLB investigation into whether they used the replay room to steal signs illegally in 2018. And now Henry has thrust new lieutenant Chaim Bloom into an impossible situation, welcoming him to Boston by ensuring that the fan base hates him.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Elena Bergeron writes for The New York Times about [the current black quarterback revolution in the NFL](. Is it going to last? - Beau Dure at The Guardian looks at [a quartet of Olympic hopefuls who are currently on the brink](. - [The biggest move the Lakers can make is to go small](. Jonathan Tjarks at The Ringer explains. [THE BRADY HUNCH] [THE BRADY HUNCH]( You know who wants Tom Brady to come back to the Patriots? Former Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman. If cribbing a move from John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything doesn’t do the trick, nothing will. ... Well, okay, maybe $30 million from the Patriots would also do the trick. But mostly the Lloyd Dobler boombox thing. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( What if you could go back to being a tiny child and feel the thrill of interacting with your very favorite athlete — if only for a fleeting second? Please enjoy the above video, which may make you feel exactly like that. This tiny guy getting a chance to slap hands with the entire starting lineup of the Atlanta Hawks may bring you a childlike glee ... or just bring a tear to your eye. Either way, we absolutely love it. His little yell of joy at the end absolutely seals it. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] WWE NXT (USA Network, 8 p.m. ET) Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair will answer the challenge of NXT Champion Rhea Ripley. Will the two Superstars go head to head for the title at WrestleMania? Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona (ESPN+, Thursday, 3 p.m. ET) Two of the quarterfinal games of this year’s Copa Del Rey will take place on Thursday afternoon. Messi leads Barca against Bilbao in the second half of the doubleheader, and if you want to get your soccer day started earlier, ESPN+ will air Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad beginning at 1 p.m. ET. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Domantas Sabonis to record a triple double: +1100 The Pacers will play the Raptors tonight, in the midst of quietly putting together one of the most under-the-radar impressive first halves in some time. Indiana is 31-19 and in fourth place in the East at the moment. They could make a huge statement with Wednesday’s game against the second-place Raptors, and they’ll need a big game from the big Oregonian to do it. Sabonis is averaging 18.3 PPG and 12.7 RPG at the moment and regularly picking up double doubles. He managed two triple doubles in January and he might have to do the same tonight for the Pacers to pick up the upset win. A new FOX Sports app and website is coming. 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