Why was Mookie traded, exactly?

[dgalehouse]

I think it was a straight 8 year/200 million offer. My guess is it was after the 2016 season.

 

The slightly humorous aspect was that Mookie said his mother was the one who kind of talked him out of signing it, telling him not to act impulsively, that sort of thing.

 

Everybody should listen to their Mother.

[Maxbialystock]

You have to break it down into two components:

 

1) The decision to trade him, which I believe was primarily an ownership decision, and which encompassed the risk of losing him forever.

2) The execution of the trade by Bloom.

 

It's the first part that's up for debate.

 

With the second part, it's hard to find any fault at all.

 

I was always in favor of the ownership decision to offer only so much (whether $200M or $220M) because I think no player can be productive enough to justify $30M/year or more. Thus I love to point out that the Nationals ownership decided that Bryce Harper was not worth keeping and off he went to the Phillies. The following season, with Harper, the Phillies won one more game than the year before without him. And the Nationals? Without Harper they won the WS.

 

However, the Phillies attendance also increased that first year, 2019, with Harper. So maybe he was/is worth it. As for Betts, he joins a team that always leads MLB in attendance, just as the Sox tend to fill Fenway (or almost fill it) regardless of the number of high-priced stars they have. Ditto the Yankees and Cubs and Cardinals (yes, the Cardinals, whose city is pretty small).

[jad]

I was always in favor of the ownership decision to offer only so much (whether $200M or $220M) because I think no player can be productive enough to justify $30M/year or more. Thus I love to point out that the Nationals ownership decided that Bryce Harper was not worth keeping and off he went to the Phillies. The following season, with Harper, the Phillies won one more game than the year before without him. And the Nationals? Without Harper they won the WS.

 

However, the Phillies attendance also increased that first year, 2019, with Harper. So maybe he was/is worth it. As for Betts, he joins a team that always leads MLB in attendance, just as the Sox tend to fill Fenway (or almost fill it) regardless of the number of high-priced stars they have. Ditto the Yankees and Cubs and Cardinals (yes, the Cardinals, whose city is pretty small).

 

Yes, but then which team won the WS last year?

 

In any case, Bloom should give Verdugo a huge raise, since his performance basically kept Bloom his job!

[Maxbialystock]

Yes, but then which team won the WS last year?

 

In any case, Bloom should give Verdugo a huge raise, since his performance basically kept Bloom his job!

 

2020 was not a season, no matter what the record books say.

[Donnie Sadler was short]

2020 was not a season, no matter what the record books say.

 

I agree...its at worthy of an asterisk...but tell that to LA fans, they think they actually won a world series.

[Bellhorn04]

2020 was not a season, no matter what the record books say.

 

I agree...its at worthy of an asterisk...but tell that to LA fans, they think they actually won a world series.

 

Why, what wasn't legit about it?

 

The regular season was woefully short, but the playoffs seemed pretty legit to me.

[moonslav59]

Why, what wasn't legit about it?

 

The regular season was woefully short, but the playoffs seemed pretty legit to me.

 

Many Sox fans just want to forget 2020.

 

Yes, it counts and should count.

Edited July 7, 2021 by moonslav59

[Larry Cook]

Many Sox fans just want to forget 2020.

 

Yes, it counts and count.

 

Amen brother! 2020 was the pits!

[jad]

Why, what wasn't legit about it?

 

The regular season was woefully short, but the playoffs seemed pretty legit to me.

 

But ... but ... the RS weren't in it! (As to the DSwS post--I'm not sure many LAD fans wake up in the middle of the night wondering: 'But what do Red Sox fans think?')

[notin]

Why, what wasn't legit about it?

 

The regular season was woefully short, but the playoffs seemed pretty legit to me.

 

The woefully short regular season certainly had an effect on the post season. Since the 60 game mark this season, the Sox went from being half a game behind Tampa to 4 games up. Certainly some teams in 2020 would have made the post season in a full year that wound up on the outside looking in...

[Maxbialystock]

Why, what wasn't legit about it?

 

The regular season was woefully short, but the playoffs seemed pretty legit to me.

 

60 games and no fans constitute a nonseason, which means the postseason was also a joke even though it made Dodger fans happy and slightly ameliorated the Astros earlier WS win.

[Bellhorn04]

60 games and no fans constitute a nonseason, which means the postseason was also a joke even though it made Dodger fans happy and slightly ameliorated the Astros earlier WS win.

 

I sincerely doubt that if the Red Sox won, Red Sox fans in general would consider it a non-championship.

[Bellhorn04]

The woefully short regular season certainly had an effect on the post season. Since the 60 game mark this season, the Sox went from being half a game behind Tampa to 4 games up. Certainly some teams in 2020 would have made the post season in a full year that wound up on the outside looking in...

 

They expanded the playoffs to accommodate that. Some sub-500 teams got into the postseason.

 

It was far from perfect, but about the best they could do.

[moonslav59]

I sincerely doubt that if the Red Sox won, Red Sox fans in general would consider it a non-championship.

 

Got that right.

 

There have been several short seasons in ML history.

 

The one that hurts me the most is the one we finished a half game behind the Tigers for a playoff berth due to a strike season and unbalanced schedule.

[notin]

He was traded to make the team better, stronger, faster… and cheaper with more financial flexibility…

[notin]

They expanded the playoffs to accommodate that. Some sub-500 teams got into the postseason.

 

It was far from perfect, but about the best they could do.

 

Can you agree it was an outlier season?

 

I was glad to have it, even though I gave up on the Sox the second I saw Ryan Weber start the third game of the season…

[Bellhorn04]

Can you agree it was an outlier season?

 

I was glad to have it, even though I gave up on the Sox the second I saw Ryan Weber start the third game of the season…

 

I'm fine with outlier, I'm not fine with non-legit.

 

I think the Dodgers and Rays were clearly deserving to be in the WS. Both teams were strong before 2020 and after 2020. They were not surprise finalists.

[notin]

I'm fine with outlier, I'm not fine with non-legit.

 

I think the Dodgers and Rays were clearly deserving to be in the WS. Both teams were strong before 2020 and after 2020. They were not surprise finalists.

 

But there was something not right about the Dodgers needing 13 postseason wins after only getting 43 regular season wins. That’s a pretty small difference…

[Bellhorn04]

But there was something not right about the Dodgers needing 13 postseason wins after only getting 43 regular season wins. That’s a pretty small difference…

 

The world in general was not right in 2020. There was not much alternative.

[SCM33]

I sincerely doubt that if the Red Sox won, Red Sox fans in general would consider it a non-championship.

 

Its just sour grapes. Whats next? Bradys SB doesnt count?

[Bellhorn04]

Its just sour grapes. Whats next? Bradys SB doesnt count?

 

Well, what they are arguing is that the regular season was too short. That's the only argument.

[Kimmi]

It's never going to be just about the short-term results of the trade, though. The trade enabled the Dodgers to sign Betts for the rest of his career.

 

Which may or may not be a good thing.

 

For the Sox, the trade also freed up money that might have been spent on Betts to sign other players for the next 10 years.

 

Verdugo has been struggling a bit of late. Regardless, I have ZERO regrets about this trade. I'm with Nick on this one.

[Kimmi]

I can easily afford a Lamborghini, but I am so happy with the mileage I get on my Chevy Aveo. The kids can complain all they want , but I'm satisfied.

 

Along with that Chevy Aveo, you can also afford to buy a bigger house for the kids. And put in a swimming pool. They will be very happy.

[Kimmi]

... or counter that the Sox offered him 300 million opportunities to sign an extension (which we all know was at least 50 million opps short). When the Dodgers visited the White House last week, no one corrected Biden, after the Prez said, "Mookie left Boston."

 

note to Bellhorn: I'm old school and still appreciate the concept of batting average as one form of offensive evaluation. I'm also on board with OPS (though a walk isn't usually as good as a hit) and WAR. Just wondering: did .247 Mookie get selected for the NL All-Star roster for his overall performance this season or because the MLB needs his name/face recognition to promote its product?

 

I don't know whether Mookie made it from the players' ballots or if he was a commissioner's choice, but I must say that in terms of NL outfielders, the fans, players, and commissioner's office got it right. That's not something I can usually say.

 

Mookie deserves to be a reserve player based on performance, and I'm sure his name/face recognition didn't hurt his cause.

[Kimmi]

Everybody should listen to their Mother.

 

I know I posted this before, but if I were Mookie's mother, I would have encouraged him to take the deal. No second thoughts.

[Kimmi]

Why, what wasn't legit about it?

 

The regular season was woefully short, but the playoffs seemed pretty legit to me.

 

I wouldn't not count it, but at the same time, things might have been a lot different had the season been its regular length.

 

There's a good chance the Dodgers don't win the WS.

[Bellhorn04]

I wouldn't not count it, but at the same time, things might have been a lot different had the season been its regular length.

 

There's a good chance the Dodgers don't win the WS.

 

I know, but what business do we have playing with hypotheticals? The season was shortened by a pandemic.

 

Oddly enough, the last time the season really got screwed up, but was completed, was the strike year of 1981, and the Dodgers also won that year.

[Bellhorn04]

1981 was an amazing mess. They split the season into two half-seasons, with the division winners of each half-season playing off in a preliminary round.

 

Teams only played about 110 games that year.

 

The Cincinnati Reds had the best total record in the National League, and did not make the playoffs!

[moonslav59]

1981 was an amazing mess. They split the season into two half-seasons, with the division winners of each half-season playing off in a preliminary round.

 

Teams only played about 110 games that year.

 

The Cincinnati Reds had the best total record in the National League, and did not make the playoffs!

 

...and we thought Manfred was bad...

[dgalehouse]

Along with that Chevy Aveo, you can also afford to buy a bigger house for the kids. And put in a swimming pool. They will be very happy.

 

I'm sure the kids will be happy if you do indeed spend the money on those nice things. If .