COULD THE DODGERS MAKE THE AL EAST AN EASIER TAKE DOWN?

Source: CBS Sports

We all know that the pesky Tampa Bay Rays were a thorn in the Yankees' side.  And the Red Sox are just a pain in the ass; but what if the Los Angeles Dodgers made the guys from Fenway a little easier to mow over in 2020?

Mookie Betts, one of the games most precious commodities these days, is said to be on the block.  But that's no news, since the Red Sox have been interested in unloading some salary and he seemed to be a formidable candidate with his free agency approaching in the next year.  Boston keeping him or another AL East team picking him up is not going to help the Yankees who would have to play him 18 times in division matchups.  But a National League taking him...well that's another story entirely.

"Might the Dodgers turn to a full-court press on Betts if they miss on other targets? Could some other team see a chance at vaulting past their rivals in one fell swoop? There has been much talk about how Betts may not be all that valuable on a one-year deal that’s likely to approach $30MM. Well … what about the rarity of the opportunity to rent a mid-prime, 6-7+ WAR player without promising him gobs of money into his late thirties? There’s immense appeal to that as well," reported NJ.com.

The Yankees have done this kind of deal themselves; to bring in a bat or a pitcher to help put them over the hill.  Betts has a lot of stamina and years left.  If the Sox unload him to a non-AL East team, that would help the Yankees soar a lot easier into the top of the standings.

Source: USA Today

Let's hope Betts goes and we continue to build up our arsenal.  It is possible we see Miguel Andujar go as our fearless leader Robert Casey predicted in his piece, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING MIGUEL ANDUJAR... SOMEWHERE. This would give us more good pitching perhaps and additional insurance for the AL East quest.  Mookie, you might like it in LA.  Take a chance...why not? You don't want to stick around in cold Boston another year do you?

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @Suzieprof