Following the 2018 season, the Boston Red Sox traded the American League Most Valuable Player after a World Series Championship win against the LA Dodgers in a four game series. He was traded for current Red Sox starting catcher Connor Wong and shortstop prospect Jeter Downs.
Downs has only just recently made it to the big leagues after getting moved to the Yankees. He has performed horribly, adding very little value to the team. Connor Wong, on the other hand, has been a good starting catcher so far, however he does seem to have some offensive struggle. Despite this, his pop time from home to second makes him a solid everyday player.
Mookie Betts has done nothing but perform for the Dodgers. He has been a MVP candidate year after year and probably could have won some if it wasn’t for historic seasons from other players. He’s been an ideal lead off batter, he steals bases and plays over one hundred and fifteen games a year. He even plays multiple positions while having a well above average bat. In 2023, he was second in the MVP race only losing to the record breaking Ronald Acuña Jr season. He added into the Dodger’s already incredible offensive lineup.
His contract was expiring the year before they traded him and as soon as he got to LA, he signed a giant contract extension with LA. Red Sox fans are generally upset by this deal because of the mild disappointment from the pieces they got in return. Also The prospect of having Mookie betts on this team with the large amount of young talent on this team. The Red Sox need a middle infield piece and Mookie Betts could be considered the best in the league. If Mookie Betts was on the Red Sox, the team would not have been obligated to let go of their recent first round pick, Catcher Kyle Teel, giving him the starting catcher job this season because their current catcher Connor Wong would still be in Los Angeles.
Mookie also has consistently had large amounts of playoff success, including Mookie Winning a World Series for LA in 2024. He also won one in his first season during the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season. Despite the disappointment of recent Dodgers playoff performances, before this season, they have still been the best team in the National League year after year, winning the NL West pretty much every year. The team’s success before the Mookie Betts trade was still good, with the Dodgers having made it into the playoffs for each of the last twelve seasons. Mookie has been a cornerstone in an already incredible team, bringing postseason wins and success when he moved from Boston to LA.
