When the Boston Red Sox traded Mookie Betts in February of 2020, it sent shock waves through the fanbase. Friday night for the first time since the deal over three years ago, Betts returned to Fenway Park as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before the game, he met with the media and some of the things he said did nothing but to add more pain to the thought and sight of seeing him in the opposing dugout.
Mookie Betts never wanted to leave Boston Red Sox
In the overall big picture, Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom made the move because they were not going to be able to sign Betts to a long-term deal he was seeking. Los Angeles was able to give him the money in a 12-year, $365 million contract in July of 2020. Meeting with the media before Friday night’s game, Betts spoke about the rumors that he wanted out, but in reality, he thought he would be in Boston for a long time.
“I don’t know where the narrative came from or how it came about,” Betts said. “But if that’s what makes you sleep at night, cool. That’s not even remotely close to where I was mentally. I thought I would be here, but the negotiations didn’t go the way we planned.”
Betts is not the first player recently to end up leaving Boston either through a trade or free agency as Xander Bogaerts left last winter for the San Diego Padres when the Red Sox would not meet the number he was looking for. As for Betts, he went 1-for-4 with two runs scored as the Dodgers rallied from a 3-0 deficit for a 7-4 win and put a hurt on Boston’s wild card hopes.
Before he led off the game, he received a standing ovation from the Fenway Park crowd and Boston manager Alex Cora even gave him a standing ovation too.
"Now batting, number 50, Mookie Betts."
— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2023
For the first time since September 30, 2019, @MookieBetts returns to Fenway Park. pic.twitter.com/1QuDE0n3Lc
Since the trade, both teams have gone in different directions. Los Angeles is 339-172, they won the World Series in 2020 and are on pace for their third consecutive 100-win season and another National League West Division title. The Red Sox? They are on pace to miss the postseason again, and the only thing keeping them from another American League East basement finish is the New York Yankees.
This weekend is going to be a painful reminder for Red Sox fans of what their front office traded away and that they failed to get anything close to reasonable in return with Alex Verdugo seemingly playing out his final season in Boston, catcher Connor Wong and former top prospect Jeter Downs, now playing for the Washington Nationals. They lost Betts over money, something that never would have happened 10 years ago.
Mookie Betts never wanted to leave the team he led to a World Series title in 2018, he just wanted to get paid. Now Red Sox fans are left wondering if there is going to be a “Curse of Mookie Betts” like there was with Babe Ruth.