At the end of this exercise I'm going to ask you whether you would have or wouldn't have.
Now that we have finality on the Mookie Betts trade and know where all the pieces moved, we have a better understanding of what the Red Sox prioritized and what it would have taken for the Phillies to make a competitive offer, unrealistic as a Betts trade was for them.
Boston received a better return than initially reported by acquiring Alex Verdugo, shortstop prospect Jeter Downs and 23-year-old catcher/infielder/outfielder/athlete Connor Wong from the Dodgers in exchange for Betts, David Price and $48 million. The $48 million represents half of Price's remaining salary over the next three years.
What would have been the Phillies equivalent? The thought here is it would have required them to part with Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and a high-upside player like Mickey Moniak.
The Phils do not have a Verdugo equivalent. Verdugo has already established himself as at least a regular outfielder and five- or six-hole hitter and has the potential to be a very good everyday player. He hit .294/.342/.475 in 377 plate appearances for the Dodgers last season while playing all three outfield spots. He will not be a free agent until after 2024.
The closest thing the Phils had to Verdugo may have been Scott Kingery, but the key differences are that Kingery has already been paid, and Kingery has not yet been as productive a hitter. Kingery could not have been the centerpiece to his deal.
Bohm, who has the offensive upside to be an above-average everyday third baseman, is closer to Verdugo in that regard.
MLB
Downs quickly became the No. 2 ranked prospect in the Red Sox system. Minor-league rankings, whether they come from Baseball America, MLB.com or elsewhere, are subjective. Those outlets do their research, though, no doubt about it. The thing to remember is that your ranking in one farm system is not your ranking in another. Wong, for example, was the 28th-ranked prospect in L.A.'s system by MLB.com but may have been the equivalent of a Top 12 prospect in the Phillies' system.
The closest Downs comp might be Stott, the Phillies' first-round pick out of UNLV this past June. Stott, a shortstop, was the 14th overall pick in 2019. Downs, a shortstop, was the 32nd overall pick in 2017. Downs is a few years ahead of Stott in the minors and is also just under a year younger.
The Wong/Moniak comp isn't as close, but the goal was to find a player in the Phillies' system who could work as an intriguing third piece with upside beyond what he's done in the minors.
If you think this sounds like more talent than the Dodgers gave up, it's because the totality of that Dodgers package was better. Many organizations would prefer Downs to Stott. Your preference of Bohm vs. Verdugo depends on your closeness to contending and positional needs.
Would you have done this deal if you were the Phillies? Keep in mind that they'd have been getting Betts for one guaranteed year with, at best, a 50-50 shot of retaining him in free agency. They'd also have had to take on Price, but at $16 million per year Price could be an asset, not a detriment.
There may soon come a time when the Phillies push their chips into the middle, but it shouldn't be for a rental. If Nolan Arenado costs you your top prospects but agrees to delay his opt-out, that's worthwhile. If Betts had a year or two more of control, that's worthwhile.
This particular trade would not have been for the Phillies, in one man's opinion.
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