Los Angeles Dodgers: How to structure the lineup with Mookie Betts
By Jason Reed
After a relatively quiet offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest move of the winter and landed Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox.
Tuesday was a chaotic day if you are a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as three different trades resulted in one conclusion: the Dodgers got Mookie Betts and David Price from the Boston Red Sox.
The Dodgers traded Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins for Brusdar Graterol, who was sent to Boston in the Betts package. Along with Graterol is Alex Verdugo, who is the only young asset that the Dodgers traded in this frenzy, getting away with sending any top-100 prospects.
The team also needed to free up some salary cap space with Betts and Price under contract. To do that, the Dodgers traded Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling for Luis Rengifo, and some reported prospects that have not yet been revealed.
With the Red Sox sending the Dodgers cash (that exact number still being disclosed), trading Pederson and Stripling for Rengifo gets the team under the luxury tax threshold while also giving them a very young utility infielder that has shown some potential.
The deck has been shuffled and the Dodgers lost their lead-off hitter as well as another bat in Alex Verdugo. Many assume that Betts will hit leadoff in LA to replace Pederson, however, it shouldn’t be a direct replacement in the lineup. Here is how I would order the Dodgers’ new-look lineup.