When the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mookie Betts begin their postseason on Saturday, aiming for a three-peat of World Series titles, the Boston Red Sox will be watching from home — if they choose to turn on their TVs at all.
The Red Sox made the playoffs, but they were eliminated by the Yankees during this week’s Wild Card Round, while the Dodgers waited for their opponent thanks to a division title and a first-round bye.
That means that, yet again, Betts will be playing later into the season than the Red Sox. It’s become a standard occurrence these days.
It’s an unpleasant reminder every single year for Boston fans that Betts was once theirs, a kid who rocketed up through their minor league system and blossomed into a superstar — and they traded him away for a trio of prospects who never got within the same stratosphere as Betts.
Red Sox fans may not want any more reminder of that trade, but every time Betts plays, there are some fans who want to remember what exactly the deal was. Well, here are the details.
Mookie Betts Trade Details
The Red Sox traded Betts to the Dodgers on February 10, 2020.
The full deal sent Betts, David Price and $48 million in cash to the Dodgers.
The Red Sox received Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong.
Wong still plays for the Red Sox, but Verdugo and Downs are both not MLB players at this point.
Meanwhile, Betts remains a star for the Dodgers — who even moved to shortstop and became good at the position midway through his time in L.A. because that’s what the team needed.
Why Red Sox Traded Mookie Betts
Betts was on the verge of becoming a free agent the next year, and so the Red Sox had to decide whether to reach a contract extension or move him.
They opted to trade him, and Price’s big contract, in the hopes of clearing their books and doing a bit of a reset.
The hope, of course, was that the three prospects they received would turn into quality big league players. Aside from a solid 2024 season by Wong, that hasn’t happened at all.
Verdugo seemed exciting for a bit but ended up having too many flaws in his game to stick around. Downs, ironically named after the Yankees legend Derek Jeter, never panned out at all.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers had no problem paying Betts what he was worth. They signed him to a 12-year, $365 million contract when he arrived.
Sure, they still owe Betts a lot of money, but they’ve also got the championships to show for it — three and counting since Mookie showed up.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox haven’t won since beating the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series, when Betts was still on their side.
Sure seems like Mookie has been quite key to winning it all in baseball over the last decade, and the Red Sox traded him away to the Dodgers for a package of players who didn’t help winning much at all.
Mookie Betts Trade Remains Dodgers Triumph, Red Sox Nightmare