There’s nothing like starting a fantasy draft and finding out midway through that a huge three-way trade has been made. Especially when it involves one of the top five players in the game and a couple of top-50 starting pitchers.

For starters, I had the fourth overall pick in Tuesday night’s League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR) Mixed draft – and my decision going in (assuming Ronald Acuña, Mike Trout and Christian Yelich were the top three) came down to either Mookie Betts or Cody Bellinger.

In the end, I think Bellinger – the reigning NL MVP – will be extremely good in 2020 no matter what. The addition of Betts to the Dodgers lineup will only help him. Bellinger’s dual eligibility at first base and the outfield gives him a slight edge.

As for Betts, he's still my No. 5 overall player. He figures to be the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter, just as he was for the second half of last season in Boston when he posted a .391 OBP and led the majors with 135 runs scored. The only downside may be fewer RBI opportunities.

David Price posted a 46-24 record and 3.84 ERA in four seasons with the Red Sox, helping them to the 2018 World Series title. (Photo: Winslow Townson, USA TODAY Sports)

Other trade ramifications from a fantasy perspective:

– Former AL Cy Young award winner David Price gets out of Boston, where he’d experienced a number of highs and lows over his four seasons there. Starting fresh somewhere else could do him a world of good – especially if he’s fully recovered from offseason surgery to remove a cyst on his left wrist.

He’ll benefit from not having right-handed batters taking target practice at the Green Monster behind him. He’ll face a new set of teams after having spent his entire career in the American League. He’ll be on a World Series contender. And he’ll still have Betts providing him with run support and great defense.

– Outfielder Alex Verdugo, 23, was in line for regular playing time with the Dodgers anyway, but now he’ll be the everyday right fielder in Boston. As a left-handed hitter, he doesn’t see his fantasy value increase very much in Fenway.

– The Red Sox also picked up flamethrowing pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol from the Twins. The 21-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut in September. While he was a starter in the minors, he was expected to play an important role in the bullpen for Minnesota. With the Red Sox, he could see high-leverage innings late in the game. With a fastball that can hit triple digits, he could possibly be in the mix to close at some point. He’s a speculative pick in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.

– Kenta Maeda’s move to the Twins gives his fantasy value a nice boost. Although moving from the National League to the American League is generally not a positive one for a pitcher, Maeda will join the clear front-runner in the AL Central – a division that contains two of the four worst teams in baseball.

Maeda will also benefit from a secure spot in the starting rotation, rather than being one of six or seven Dodger starters – and occasionally getting shifted to the bullpen. Target Field played as a pitcher’s park last season and ranked 24th in home run factor, while Dodger Stadium ranked ninth.

– Finally, the swap of Verdugo for Betts gives the rest of the Dodgers lineup a slight bump. Shortstop Corey Seager (or possibly rookie second baseman Gavin Lux) will benefit by hitting in the No. 2 spot behind Betts. 

In Boston, downgrade offensive stalwarts Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts just a little since they won't have Betts getting on base at a 40% clip in front of them.

For more fantasy baseball discussion and analysis, follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner

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