Mookie Betts got a handshake and a shoutout from President Donald Trump during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ visit to the White House on Monday. And the former president didn’t miss his chance to sound off on the Red Sox’ decision to send Betts to L.A.
“Mookie. That guy can play, can’t he? I mean, unbelievable,” Trump said, according to MassLive’s Lauren Campbell. “I didn’t think that was a particularly good trade when they made it, and I happened to be right.”
Boston traded Betts to the Dodgers in February of 2020, a move that still stings for Red Sox fans. In return, the Sox landed outfielder Alex Verdugo, shortstop Jeter Downs, and catcher Connor Wong — and now, only Wong remains in Boston, carving out a role as the club’s starting catcher. Verdugo is with the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Downs plays for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
“Just because I didn’t take an offer didn’t mean I didn’t want to be there,” Betts told reporters when he returned to Boston as a Dodger for the first time in 2023. There’s a business component to the game. We were looking for houses in Boston. We thought it was going to work out. I thought both sides were playing the slow game and it would eventually work out. We were negotiating; that’s what I thought.”
Betts has thrived with the Dodgers, adding another World Series title to his resume in 2020 and continuing to play at an MVP-caliber level. He signed a 12-year pact worth $365 million after the trade from Boston, before he even appeared in a regular-season game with the Dodgers.
Betts skipped the Red Sox’s trip to the White House after their 2018 championship, which took place during Trump’s first term.
Trump Torches Red Sox for Mookie Betts Trade