Boston Red Sox Shot-Caller Reveals How the $3.9 Billion Team Benefited From Controversial Mookie Betts Trade

Boston Red Sox have had a change in fortunes since winning the World Series in 2018. Since that year, they have only been in the postseason once and have lost a number of their key players. Furthermore, things have not improved enough this off-season for the Red Sox to be considered a postseason threat. Despite their $3.9 billion net value, they lowballed franchise star Xander Bogaerts and lost him in free agency to a rival team.

But their change in fortunes started much earlier when they traded away star outfielder Mookie Betts in 2020. The deal leaves Red Sox fans confused even today. Recently, one of the Boston Red Sox’s top brass explained the reasoning behind the trade.

Boston Red Sox CBO Chaim Bloom opened up on the Mookie Betts trade

Boston Red Sox?s Chief of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom recently appeared on ?The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman?. During his appearance, he spoke on a lot of different topics, one of them being the Mookie Betts trade. Bloom orchestrated the trade that sent Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This left many Red Sox fans confused. While speaking to Heyman and Sherman, he explained that keeping Betts long-term did not make sense at the time.?

During the episode, Bloom said, ?I think it really came down to the way baseball is. If you are going to, you know, make a bet that big on a superstar player, that big and that long. You better be prepared to back it up with a ton of talent around that player. Especially in the early years of the deal, when you can expect it to return the most value. And simply put, we just weren’t positioned to do that.?

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The Red Sox executive also mentioned that he loved Betts as a player then and does even now. But the Red Sox couldn?t put the pieces around Betts to win, and so they traded him. The team looks incredibly different today. They lost Xander Bogaerts in free agency and have changed directions.

The Red Sox are building around Rafael Devers

The Boston Red Sox are now building around Rafael Devers after losing Bogaerts this off-season. They gave him a long-term deal this off-season and look set to make him their centerpiece. According to MLB.com, the deal is ?for $331 million for 11 years?.?

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This makes Devers the new face of their franchise and their new centerpiece going forward. The Red Sox have had an otherwise disappointing off-season. But they may surprise people during the upcoming season. What do you think of Chaim Bloom?s reasoning for trading Mookie Betts? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!