The Mookie Betts trade was controversial from the moment the deal was struck, and four years later the move remains a sore subject among Red Sox fans writ large.
Already a league MVP and a World Series champion at the time of the deal, Betts could have become the face of the franchise and finished what will likely wind up being a Hall of Fame career in Boston. Red Sox fans were left wondering what could have been as Betts thrived in Los Angeles, and the fact the club went on to finish last in two out of three years only added insult to injury.
The Red Sox were never going to get comparable value back in the short-term, but the way things are trending there’s a chance the trade could eventually be viewed as worthwhile.
Alex Verdugo, the primary return in the Betts deal, has been a regular starter for the Red Sox ever since his arrival in 2020. His first three seasons in Boston could be best summed up as “good, not great,” but now he appears to have made the leap and is making a strong case for his first All-Star nod.
Verdugo entered the weekend batting .315 with five home runs, 18 RBI, a league-leading 26 runs scored and an .897 OPS. His 1.3 wins above replacement ranked third among American League outfielders and he’s emerged as Boston’s most reliable clutch hitter since David Ortiz, delivering three walk-off hits through the season’s first month alone.
He’s also still only 26, just a few months older than Jarren Duran, and is presumably only now entering his prime.
Verdugo’s future looks bright, but he still isn’t Mookie Betts. For the Red Sox to realistically come out ahead they’d need one of the other prospects they acquired to develop into a real contributor too.
Infielder Jeter Downs didn’t work out, but it looks like the Red Sox may have something in catcher Connor Wong.
Though Wong probably won’t always hit the way he has this past week, he’s become so good defensively that he won’t need to in order to solidify himself as a rock-solid big league catcher. He’s drawn rave reviews from the pitching staff for his work behind the plate and has shown off a cannon of an arm, so far throwing out 6 of 14 (43%) baserunners who have attempted to steal against him, one of the best rates in baseball.
Wong also boasts unique athleticism for a catcher, allowing him to thrive despite not necessarily looking the part as a relatively undersized guy for the position.
“His athleticism makes up for the size factor,” said right-hander Kutter Crawford, who has played with Wong since they were both in Single-A. “He’s got great hands, he can move well behind the plate to get his body in front of balls, and also his IQ, wanting to learn the game, wanting to learn more about the game. … I think between his athleticism and his IQ he’s going to be a great catcher.”
No matter what happens from here the Dodgers got exactly what they wanted out of the deal and won’t have any regrets. Since arriving in Los Angeles Betts has been a perennial MVP candidate, one of the most productive all-around players in baseball and played a starring role in leading the Dodgers to the 2020 World Series championship, the organization’s first in 32 years.
That being said, Betts is now 30, and while he’s still one of the best players in baseball he does still have nine years and approximately $290 million remaining on his contract. There’s a scenario where five years from now Betts is in decline and a drag on the Dodgers’ payroll while Verdugo and Wong may both have become cornerstones of a contending Red Sox team.
With the Red Sox exceeding expectations and Verdugo and Wong leading the team in WAR with 1.3 each, you could make a case they already are.
The fact that the Red Sox are off to as good a start as they are is somewhat remarkable. Boston has not only suffered some devastating injuries, but they’ve also played the hardest schedule in baseball by a comfortable margin. Despite that they entered the weekend 20-14 while having won seven out of 10 series to open the season, with the three losses coming against clubs with the first-, second- and fourth-best records in MLB.
The road isn’t going to get any easier, especially not with the division as loaded as any we’ve ever seen.
Entering Saturday all five AL East teams were above .500 and the division’s collective win percentage was .636. That is on pace to be the best collective win percentage for a division by a wide margin.
Since MLB first adopted its current three-division format in 1994 there has only ever been one occasion where all five teams finished at or above .500. That was the 2005 NL East, which was won by the Atlanta Braves (90-72) with the Washington Nationals (81-81) taking last in their inaugural season.
But that division was also pretty mediocre overall and the group’s combined win percentage was only .524. There have also been 12 times where four out of five teams in a division have finished at or above .500, and out of that group a number have posted better collective win percentages.
You don’t have to go back far to find the best one. Last year’s AL East was arguably the strongest division of the modern era with the five clubs combining for a .540 win percentage. The Red Sox finished in last place despite finishing 78-84, which isn’t good but in most divisions is usually at least good enough to finish third or fourth.
I say “arguably” because there is one other unorthodox contender. The 2002 AL West, which only had four teams, had three clubs finish with 90 or more wins and posted a .566 win percentage overall.
That division famously featured the “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics, who won 103 games; the eventual World Series champion Anaheim Angels (99 wins); and the Seattle Mariners (93 wins), who were a year removed from the greatest regular season in MLB history. The Texas Rangers (72-90) also featured Alex Rodriguez at the height of his powers.
If you were a fan of one of those teams back in the day you certainly got your money’s worth, but in terms of both depth and overall quality, this year’s AL East has a chance to finish as the best ever.
The Houston Astros suffered a massive setback this week as news broke that right-hander Luis Garcia needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Garcia left Monday’s game against San Francisco after only eight pitches due to elbow pain and the club’s worst fears were confirmed in the following days, with the announcement coming down on Friday night.
Dusty Baker, Houston’s manager, called the loss “a tremendous blow.”
The defending World Series champions’ starting rotation, once among the strongest in baseball, is now almost unrecognizable. Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander signed with the New York Mets over the offseason and right-handers Jose Urquidy and Lance McCullers Jr. are both on the injured list.
Houston does still have ace Framber Valdez and righty Cristian Javier, and rookie Hunter Brown has gotten off to a strong start, but even before losing Garcia the Astros had sputtered out of the gate and came into Saturday 17-15 and third in the AL West.
Norwood’s Sean Mellen is back in New England and off to a strong start in his first season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Norwood High and Northeastern University standout is currently 1-1 with a 0.93 ERA through his first seven appearances with the Fisher Cats. Opposing batters are hitting .094 against him, and entering the weekend the former Dodgers prospect was tied for the team lead in appearances (7).
Another local, Methuen’s Jacob Wallace, is also off to a good start with his new team. The former Red Sox prospect, who was traded to Kansas City for big league righty Wyatt Mills, is now with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and so far has a perfect 0.00 ERA through his first 11 appearances with the Royals’ Double-A affiliate. The ex-Methuen High star has held opposing batters to a .114 average and struck out 12 over 10.1 innings.