Keeping Up with the 617: An Ode to Mookie Betts

I write this column hoping to find a glimpse of optimism for the 2020 Red Sox season, but, unfortunately, can find none.

On Tuesday evening, the Red Sox announced a trade sending outfielder Mookie Betts and pitcher David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Alex Verdugo and Twins pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol. While the three-team trade has not been finalized — and the Twins recently backed out — I have to assume that now the Red Sox will follow through and trade Mookie Betts.

Mookie Betts is unarguably the second-best player in baseball and provided a spark for the Red Sox. It's disappointing to see the Mookie era end this way in Boston.

When I received the news that Mookie was traded, a little piece of me was destroyed. He was one of the main reasons that the Red Sox became the powerhouse they were in 2018. He was the model baseball athlete — he showed up to each game with a fierce competitive attitude and made spectacular plays in the field. It just is a sucky feeling to see him actually gone, and to the Los Angeles Dodgers of all teams. I distinctly remember one moment that epitomized Betts' legacy as a Red Sox. Against the Blue Jays in 2018, Betts battled in a 13-pitch at bat against J.A. Happ with the bases loaded until he sent a ball all the way to New Hampshire, sending Fenway into a frenzy. I remember watching that live and thinking to myself that there is no doubt the Red Sox will win the World Series that year. No matter how his Red Sox career ended, Betts will still have a special place in Red Sox Nation's hearts.

The inevitable trade will leave the Red Sox with a plethora of questions for the upcoming season. Does Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom strip to the foundation and start a major rebuild? Or does the front office ‘transition’ by staying competitive but continuing to swap pieces in order to rebuild a championship-caliber team?

Personally, I have zero idea what approach Chaim Bloom will take to the 2020 Red Sox. I certainly support a full rebuild, but I don't believe it's necessary. Xander Bogaerts recently signed a massive extension and Chris Sale is still considered a high-caliber MLB ace. Don't forget Rafael Devers' leap to stardom last season and the hitting capability of J.D. Martinez. If you look at the current Red Sox roster sans Mookie Betts and David Price, it just doesn't make sense for a full rebuild.

But, I do have respect for Chaim Bloom. He embraced a brutal salary cap situation and has seemed to navigate the payroll under the salary cap if the Mookie trade goes through. And who knows, maybe the Yankees catch the injury bug and Rafael Devers claims the MVP award. As a Red Sox fan, I like to keep as much optimism as possible for this upcoming season. However, it seems like a rebuild is on its way.

Brace yourself Sox fans, it might be a long and excruciatingly painful season.