Dodgers tried to acquire Mookie Betts at 2019 trade deadline?

The Los Angeles Dodgers may never get to use the services of star right fielder Mookie Betts if the 2020 Major League Baseball season is canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that would be a crushing blow to the organization's World Series hopes.

As of right now, though, the MLB season hasn't been canceled and with any luck, Los Angeles will be able to make the most of the Betts and David Price acquisition in a shortened 82-game season.

In 2019, the Dodgers had the best record in the National League, going 106-56 but unfortunately lost to the Washington Nationals in the NLDS. Would having Betts on the roster in 2019 have helped the Dodgers postseason efforts? It's likely.

In search of a World Series title after being robbed in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman tried to acquire Betts from the Boston Red Sox at the 2019 trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Andy McCullough. While the Red Sox had an extremely rough 2019 campaign, winning two of three from Tampa and then three out of four from the Yankees in July made it clear Boston wasn’t ready to sell-off their best player, squashing Friedman's hopes of adding Betts at the deadline for a deep postseason run.

While the Dodgers were trying to acquire Betts before the end of the season, the Red Sox were trying to negotiate a new deal with the four-time All-Star. Boston ended up offering the 27-year-old a 10-year, $300 million contract extension and Betts countered with 12 years and $420 million. When it became clear the two sides weren't on the same page, Boston sent Betts to L.A. for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong.

With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the nation, it seems that Betts should've taken that offer from the Red Sox in hindsight, and longtime MLB insider Peter Gammons explained why this week.

"Free agency is not going to even be, there are no screams -- free agency is going to be a whisper for the next three years," Gammons said on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score in Chicago. "There are few people that I like better in baseball than Mookie Betts. I thought he was going to make between $350 (million) to $400 million ... He'd be lucky to get up to $250 (million) in free agency this coming winter if they play. It's just the reality of economics. It's true in almost every business."

Contract negotiations seem to be at a standstill across the league due to COVID-19, and while it's hard to say what Betts will rake in during the coming seasons, he could end up opting for a one-year bridge deal in order to receive a massive payout when coronavirus concerns die down and things are relatively back to normal.