If you’ve been living under a rock or if you only get your news from ESPN, you might not have heard about the trade that drastically changed the landscape of the MLB. If you are anybody else, you heard that top five MLB player and Red Sox star outfielder Mookie Betts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with pitcher David Price in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop Jeter Downs.
This choice angered Red Sox fans, especially young fans like me not only because a once in a generation talent was traded away, but because of how the Red Sox front office treated the trade. After firing president of baseball operations, the Red Sox hired Chaim Bloom, whose job was to help the Red Sox to achieve long term success. The Red Sox were also due to spend enough to reach the luxury tax, but Bloom said that getting under the luxury tax wasn’t a requirement and said that Mookie would be on the opening day roster. This, of course, was a lie and like so many other times, the Red Sox front office fail to recognize the desires of the fans.
I could write this article about how shameful it is for the Red Sox to trade away such a great player, but I’m going to have an optimistic approach. I have had three ideas in the back of my head over the course of this entire trade saga and they’ve kept me optimistic.
1. We might just have to deal with what we have
Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs are big players with bright futures. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather have Mookie than those two in an instant, but the deal’s over and we might just have to move on.
Alex Verdugo is a player who works really hard and has a huge potential. As a kid he grew up watching the likes of Manny and Big Papi and was a Red Sox fan. He exploded last year in 105 games, hitting 12 home runs and batting 294. Right now he has a back injury, but when he comes back, he will be a really good addition for the Red Sox.
Jeter Downs is also a talented young player. A big part of his game is speed. In 2018, Downs stole 37 bases and last year he stole 24 bases. Now, those two seasons were down in the Minors, but Downs will develop in to a big player.
As well as Verdugo and Downs, the Red Sox also bought some other players. They decided to keep a lot of last year’s players and Price and Betts were the only big departures along with Porcello, who left earlier. Days after trading away Mookie, the Red Sox signed former Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar. He can be a really talented player when he’s at his best, especially in the outfield.
2. Some Red Sox greats don’t stay on the team for long
Last week, I was reading the book “The 50 Greatest Red Sox Games”, and while I was thinking about the Mookie trade, the story of Carlton Fisk came to my attention. He played 11 years for the Red Sox, yet he switched his socks color to white in 1980. In Boston, Fisk was never able to win a World Series but his legacy still remains with him famous down the foul line home run in the World Series.
Mookie has so many similarities. He played for nine years under the Red Sox, but unlike Fisk, winning an MVP and a World Series. After the Red Sox, Fisk still played well and we should hope that Mookie will do the same.
It was also brought up by John Henry that this situation is similar to the one that happened with Nomar in 2004. Just like now, it was a devastating trade to a fan favorite that could have been handled better by the front office. But hey, that’s baseball.
3. This could just be a long term plan to get Mookie back next year
Yes, this one is a bit outlandish. Yes, if he came back the fans would hate him for leaving in the first place. But wouldn’t you love to see him back. Technically after they don’t have to pay Mookie and Price anymore, they could have a lot of cap space. Maybe next year while Mookie’s in free agency, you get him back, even if he has a bad year, for much less than you would have to pay for him in the first place.
But hey, that’s just a theory. An MLB theory.
Sources:
- probaseballreference.com
- New York Post
- Girrafeneckmarc on Youtube
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