Red Sox Rumors: 'Great Skepticism' Mookie Betts Will Be Traded for Huge Haul

The Boston Red Sox might have a slight hitch in a potential plan to trade Mookie Betts as they look to lessen their payroll this offseason.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Monday the Red Sox "will likely gauge the trade market" for Betts but that "there's great skepticism" teams will pony up a trade package that includes multiple top prospects since Betts is a free agent in 2021. He's eligible for arbitration this offseason and Spotrac estimates he could earn $27.7 million.

According to Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Network, multiple MLB executives are of the belief one of Betts, Kris Bryant or Francisco Lindor will be traded this offseason.

While the Red Sox haven't officially said they're going to move Betts, that was the impression many got when team owners John Henry and Tom Werner confirmed they wanted to avoid the luxury tax in 2020.

J.D. Martinez could have done the team a favor by opting out of his deal and becoming a free agent. Instead, Martinez triggered his 2020 option and will thus count for $23.75 million toward Boston's payroll.

As much as analytics and sabermetrics have done to help fans understand a player's true value, the Betts situation highlights how the pendulum may have shifted too far in that direction.

It seems unthinkable the Red Sox—one of MLB's marquee franchises—would trade a four-time All-Star and former MVP rather than keep him for the long term. This isn't comparable to the Baltimore Orioles trading Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers as he approached the end of his contract.

Boston has the financial means to keep Betts and a strong motivation to re-sign him with a playoff window still wide open.

However, the general trend of free-agent spending in recent years shows how front offices are coveting the value they get from cost-controlled prospects rather than proven veterans.

The irony for the Red Sox is that the same logic they'd use to justify trading Betts could be turned around on them by general managers who are wary of investing too much in a player who might be a one-year rental.