The Curse of the Bab….Mookie

Where do I even start? The loss of Mookie Betts is devastating to all of Red Sox Nation; it is a sad day in the Nation that is for sure.  I want to get this out of the way first though, I do not blame Chaim Bloom he was put in a very tough position when he came on board and was hit with some decisions that would immediately define his tenure in Boston.  One of those decisions was how to cut payroll and get under the luxury tax threshold.  To be honest I blame Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox ownership.  Everyone knows this is the situation a guy like Dealing Dave puts you in.  He may win you a World Series but in doing so he sets your franchise back years.  Now Bloom has come in to clean up his mess and packaging your best player with your worst contract is the painful, yet quick and easy way to do this.  What pisses me off is you’re not getting a May or a Lux, or a Ruiz or a guy that projects as a perennial All-Star.  A talent like Mookie should fetch you an absolute HAUL similar to the haul the White Sox got for Sale.  A Haul that single handily takes your farm system from bottom third to top 10.  I understand the Dodgers are taking on the albatross that is David Price’s contract but come on man this is a generational type talent that does not come around often.  Mookie should have been the face of the Red Sox for the next 10 years.  Don’t get me wrong Alex Verdugo is a really good player, he was actually the Dodgers #2 prospect behind Walker Buehler in 2018 and 32nd overall in the MLB and as a 23 year old in 106 games hit .294 with 12 HR’s 44 RBI’s and a .342 OBP with only 49 SO’s.  That is a very impressive hit tool for a 23 year old in a major market and he grades out as a plus fielder. As far as Brusdar Graterol he is a top 100 prospect and was the best pitching prospect in the Twins system and has a 100 MPH fastball so he has plenty of promise but this is Mookie Betts we are talking about. Mookie has multiple Gold Gloves, an MVP, is a World Series Champion and is entering only his golden age 28 season.  That does not grow on trees folks. 
​
I was talking with a friend today who said at face value this deal looks awful but you get a few nice pieces and you free up a ton of money.  I guess the moral of the story is I am depressed today but I am going to give Bloom the benefit of the doubt and give him a year or two to see how he uses these funds to set up the Red Sox to compete.  It is hard for me to say but congrats to the Dodgers, you got a special one and it would not surprise me to see Mookie win at least another MVP and more World Series titles, he is special.  There are not many guys in this league that are put even near the same level as Mike Trout but Mookie is one of them.