The Boston Red Sox, who currently don’t even have a manager, put the finishing touches on a dreadful offseason Tuesday night when they agreed on a trade that will send Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This deal instantly makes the Dodgers one of the favorites to win the World Series while it makes the Red Sox the favorites to be looking up to the Yankees in the AL East for years to come.
Betts was the AL MVP in 2018, a year in which he helped lead Boston to a World Series win over the Dodgers.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has more details on the deal:
The Dodgers, Red Sox and Minnesota Twins have agreed on a three-team trade that will send outfielder Mookie Betts and starter David Price to Los Angeles, according to an official with direct knowledge of the discussions.
The official spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet finalized.
Boston’s return package will include outfielder Alex Verdugo from Los Angeles as well as pitching prospect Brusdal Graterol from the Twins. Minnesota will get right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers.
Twitter and Red Sox fans crushed the Red Sox:
The Red Sox are really trading Mookie Betts—one of baseball's best players and most accomplished players at just 27 years old. John Henry should be ashamed of himself. Absolutely pathetic. pic.twitter.com/zvgUZ610nn
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 5, 2020
Other than hitting for average, power, playing elite defense, running the bases well and being a homegrown player who is beloved by all, Mookie Betts doesn’t do much well.
Totally get where the Red Sox are coming from.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 5, 2020
Mookie Betts is one of the most talented Red Sox players ever. The team just traded him away in-part to get under the luxury tax. Let that one sink in
— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) February 5, 2020
OTHER AWESOME TRADES THE RED SOX COULD MAKE:
Xander Bogaerts for Tim Beckham and a couple nice suits
Rafael Devers for a sweet 2020 Toyota Camry
Nathan Eovaldi for some Sonic gift cards
Chris Sale for my Netflix password
JD Martinez for "all the turkey subs"
— Red (@SurvivingGrady) February 5, 2020
The Red Sox have the most valuable team in Boston, play in a sport with no salary cap, won a championship one year ago and somehow now have the worst team in the city
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 5, 2020
Red Sox should be relegated for not locking Mookie up forever.
WTF.
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) February 5, 2020
Trade Mookie Betts, what could go wrong?#RedSox Mookie Betts
2014-19: 42.0 WAR#RedSox Babe Ruth
1914-19: 39.8 WAR— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) February 5, 2020
Red Sox fans realizing they literally did the Babe Ruth trade again pic.twitter.com/8fNsmAlBzh
— Hoodie Paxton (@HoodieJPaxton) February 5, 2020
I’m a huge Red Sox fan and I am so excited about their sub-luxury-tax payroll moves and cost-conscious roster construction! That’s why we’re in this, fans! Amazing job by them. Gonna buy a jersey that says “LuxTaxReset” on the back.
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) February 5, 2020
#RedSox could’ve and should’ve gotten way more for Betts. They were fleeced. #Yankees
— NYY NEWS (@report_yankee) February 5, 2020