Yahoo Lifestyle Dodgers' deal sending Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling to Angels called off after Mookie Betts standoff
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ deal to land Mookie Betts ended up coming to fruition, but another trade on the table is reportedly no longer happening after the team’s multi-day standoff with the Boston Red Sox.
The Dodgers’ reported deal to send Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for infielder Luis Rengifo — as well an exchange of lower-level prospects — has been called off, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown has confirmed the trade will not happen.
Dodgers’ complicated week remains complicated
The agreed-upon Angels trade was entirely about getting under the luxury tax for the Dodgers. Pederson is set to make $7.75 million in 2020, while Stripling will make $2.1 million.
It’s unclear if the Dodgers will still be able to stay under the tax line with both players still on board, but it is certain that having both players still onboard means that the team will have to clear two spots on its 40-man roster once the Betts trade goes official.
Both players also didn’t have much of a fit on the Dodgers with Betts and David Price aboard. Pederson would have been pretty dispensable in an outfield also featuring Betts, Cody Bellinger, A.J. Pollock and the Dodgers’ usual stable of versatile bench players. Stripling is a strong pitcher with a career 115 ERA+, though he hasn’t been able to stay in the rotation for the Dodgers long enough to use him as a starter in the playoffs.
Given that both players know they were set to be traded, the simplest way to resolve everything could still be to trade them, though probably not to the Angels at this point.
Who called off the trade?
Per Rosenthal and Brown, it’s unclear who exactly called off the trade.
It’s possible the Dodgers decided they could do better than offload two decent players to the Angels for only a bench player in Rengifo as a return. Some other team could have approached them with a better offer, or someone just figured out a way to stay under the tax line.
It’s also quite possible the Angels grew impatient during the standoff and decided the deal wasn’t worth their time. Angels owner Arte Moreno was not happy with the situation, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
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