Mookie.
The one-time face of the Red Sox franchise returns Friday to Fenway Park.
Mookie Betts stands alongside Babe Ruth, Carlton Fisk, Sparky Lyle, Reggie Smith, Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, Dennis Eckersley, Waite Hoyt and Jackie Robinson (look it up) as among the many greats who bought away.
Fittingly, Betts triggered the Great Exodus.
Betts and David Price had been shipped to SoCal on Feb. 11, 2020, in alternate for 3 gamers and Competitive Balance Tax reduction.
Five weeks later, Tom Brady knowledgeable the world he was setting sail for Tampa Bay.
Rob Gronkowski quickly adopted.
So did Julian Edelman.
And Zdeno Chara.
With time, Xander Bogaerts, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Devin McCourty and Dont’a Hightower joined the departed.
Dozens of championships exited with the passage of time and tightening of wallets.
A herd of GOATs and different prize-winning livestock being pushed throughout the plains to Montana by the Dutton household.
The sheep?
They had been left behind in Boston.
In the wake of the Betts commerce, social justice took the place of profitable baseball at Fenway Park.
All below the regular hand of Ron Roenicke.
After Betts was dealt, the Red Sox had extra Black Lives Matter banners than Black ballplayers.
Yet followers had been those who wanted to be enlightened, er, brainwashed.
The Red Sox and their dutiful disciples in John Henry’s newspaper, on John Henry’s TV station, the radio station that airs John Henry video games, and throughout a number of web sites who wish to curry favor with John Henry’s baseball workforce, inform us Betts deal was a superb baseball commerce.
Not only a wage dump.
The Los Angeles Blue Sox provide consolation of their familiarity.
In addition to Betts, Dave Roberts is the supervisor. J.D. Martinez is DH. Kike “Butterfingers” Hernandez could possibly be anyplace from first, to quick, or left area, or on the bench.
Ryan Brasier is an everyday out of the bullpen. Joe Kelly is nursing a forearm damage.
Baseball purists inform us Betts’ 2020 World Series ring with Los Angeles doesn’t rely as a result of there have been solely 60 video games within the common season. That additionally conveniently absolves the Red Sox of their worst profitable proportion since 1965.
Starting in 2021, Betts has averaged 39 residence runs and 96 RBIs over 162 video games. His total OPS is .903 and he’s hit 92 homers and pushed in 226 runs throughout that span.
He and the remainder of the Blue Sox have fizzled spectacularly within the postseason.
In 2021-22, LA gained 217 video games however by no means reached the World Series. Last yr was notably painful for the occupants of Chavez Ravine. LA rolled to the NL West title with 111 victories, beating San Diego by 22 video games. That meant nothing. The Padres upended the Blue Sox 3-1 within the NLDS.
Baby Bloomers reflectively cite the Blue Sox playoff flops since profitable the World Series as additional proof of the hidden brilliance displayed by the Red Sox GM in his first massive transfer after taking up for Dave Dombrowski.
In return for dumping the market worth wage of Betts (and Price), the Red Sox acquired Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs.
Downs was final noticed in Washington enjoying for the Nationals.
Verdugo and Wong have settled into beginning roles.
Of the three, Wong might show to be the most effective acquisition in the long term. Verdugo affords the presence of somebody who might have already peaked as a ballplayer. See “Andrew Benintendi.”
Betts has swatted 34 residence runs up to now in 2023. He’s backed them up with 86 RBI, 101 runs and a .989 OPS. Verdugo, in the meantime, equipped simply 39 residence runs since becoming a member of the Red Sox in 2020.
The Red Sox had been by no means going to get something near affordable worth for Betts.
Three probably common gamers by no means equal a terrific one.
Betts’ departure ushered within the submit “Score of Success” © Red Sox.
Bloom introduced the Tampa Bay Way to Boston and turned it into Pittsfield.
Bloom’s former boss in St. Petersburg, Andrew Friedman, has been working the Dodgers/Blue Sox since 2015. Money isn’t actual La La Land.
Look no additional West than the Bronx or Queens as proof that burning mountains of money on free brokers doesn’t assure success within the standings.
Yet, the Red Sox dedicated a much more grievous sin with Betts. They low-balled a participant who got here up by their system and had the potential to be a Red Sox Hall of Famer, if not the Cooperstown sort, by the point his profession was full.
The Red Sox drafted Betts in 2011 when he was nonetheless in highschool. Betts, a Nashville native, by no means embraced Boston like an Ortiz. He advised me in 2016 he wasn’t positive he would find yourself staying in Boston for his complete profession.
The Red Sox botched this relationship going again to 2018 once they took Betts to arbitration. Betts gained, nevertheless it left a mark.
No matter what you will have learn elsewhere.
The Red Sox didn’t safe Betts earlier than the 2019 season. At the time, $300 million wasn’t sufficient.
“I just wanted to get my value,” Betts advised WEEI final yr. “The numbers didn’t align.”
Thus, Betts was gone a method or one other in 2020. The similar sample adopted with Bogaerts. Betts’ 12-year, $365 million cope with LA might have regarded kooky earlier than in 2021. But its common annual worth (AAV) of $30.41 million is turning into increasingly of a discount. It is under the 2023 salaries of Miguel Cabrera, Stephen Strasburg and Giancarlo Stanton.
Given his Red Sox success, Betts has earned the absolute best pre-game hype video that Dr. Charles can provide. And an ovation solely reserved for Taylor Swift
Every time he involves the plate.
Don’t hate the participant. Hate the sport.
Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos) could be reached at [email protected]
Source: www.bostonherald.com