Dodgers News: Mookie Betts Wanted To Stay In Boston
Right now, all Los Angeles Dodgers fans are waiting on a Mookie Betts trade to be finalized. While in some respects it feels like this deal as we know it may be on the ropes, Betts has been silent about making the move to Los Angeles.
Now through a conversation Betts had with former Red Sox great Jim Rice, we are able to learn how Betts felt when the trade went down. Recently, Rice joined MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM to talk about a conversation he had with Betts when the trade went down. It’s an interesting listen.
Hall of Famer Jim Rice spoke to Mookie Betts last night.
Betts, according to Rice: "This is my home. I don't want to go anyplace else."@RedSox | #RedSox pic.twitter.com/ZUJeoCVrUt
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 5, 2020
First off, this deal from the Red Sox side was very much about staying under the luxury tax threshold according to Rice.
“They knew this was coming, and it had to happen. I think this whole situation was about trying to get under the luxury tax and they felt like they would only have Mookie for one more year. Then who knows, the highest bidder.”
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[adace-ad id=”119376″]Equally important, Betts acknowledges that he loved playing in Boston. Still, the player knows that baseball is a business and Boston did what it had to do.
“I talked to Mookie last night, even when I was doing NESN. And I asked him about it and he came out and said ‘look, this is my home. I don’t want to go anyplace else’. He said he didn’t care what people have said or what they’re talking about, this is my home and I want to say here. Then I talked to him last night and he said I’m going to tell you what I told you before, I wanted to stay. But it was a business deal and he couldn’t do anything about it. They choose to go that way and Mookie knows he has to accept it.”
Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser talked about the desire to remain with your team but the business of baseball getting in the way earlier this week, and seeing some career parallels with Mookie Betts.
These are interesting details to learn as we all wait nervously to get this thing finalized. Certainly, it would be a different feel to the upcoming season if Dodgers fans aren’t able to give Betts the proper welcome he deserves.
NEXT: A True Emotional Rollercoaster of an Off-Season for Los Angeles
He’s going to be a disaster here let him stay in Boston so he doesn’t ruin the chemistry
I agree, let him stay in Boston.
Dodgers should walk away… BoSox rookie GM shows all the business acumen of a petulant spoiled brat.
Deals in MLB have always been “sacred” no takees-backees. But this yutz… @hhh, screw it, I’m really just done with MLB this time, even more than when i lost all interest in NFL horse poop ir the league of crybabies NBA (Kobe was the ring leader, said that after his crap with Shaq and it only got worse, freaking rapist that he was)… but screw professional sports. There is no honesty in the game, perhaps there never was.
Don’t sit in the hotel bar looking to gold dig an athlete and then refuse to put out. No takesees backsees in that line of business either I say
Just go away, and take your hateful comments with you.
Mookie refused 300 million dollars to stay in Boston, and now claims he wanted to stay in Boston. Give me a break. You are the one that made it a business deal Mookie.
The main problem about this whole mess is if we don’t end up with bets I feel really badd for joc, stripling and Meada.
Just to carry on after they were essentially traded away.
Big distraction to start the season off with.
The amazing thing is that Boston just got ‘cold feet’ as far as that pitcher from the Twins goes. and his agent says reports basically concluded that wasn’t really anything wrong with him and Boston could have figured out his (Graterol) progress before this became a mess. Bottom line for me is that this deal should not have had to drag on and on as ithas and to be honest no real resolution in site…yet. Let’s just be done with it one way or another.
Dodgers should call it off,why get an unhappy player.We don’t need him and an over the hill over priced pitcher that will take away starts from May and gonsolin.But do trade Joc to angels where he is wanted and even Arte Moreno wants him and Joc deserves to be a starter not a platoon player.Hate to see him go but that’s the only way he can put up monster numbers,here with the analytical idiots it’s impossible they rather use broken down outfielder pollock.we have 2 stooges in charge
It was said we were cheated by that rat Alex Cora right? Life gave that man a chance to make things right in a way By throwing the series in 2018 but he screwed the dodgers on back to back occasions. Thats a piece of s**t of a person but the point i’m making is that the dodgers really don’t have to change anything now that we know nothing was broken with the teams we had.
Something was broken in 2019 and we all saw it the second half.
Its your bullpen and morale/belief in you “system”.
After you lost the the Asterisks in 2017, players started feeling jumpy when down in the count or in runs – they’d swing big and miss big rather than take their walks. Your new guy Pollock is abyssmal with this and a cancer in your line-up. Whenever he comes up its a gauranteed out and loss of momentum. That said, with this revelation, Morale right recover, and with it the beleif in hitting for contact and batting for OBP%.
In 2017 you were unstoppable – more dangerous with 2 outs 2 strikes than when 0 and 0; what made you dangerous was the likes of JT, and Kike, Belli, Taylor- everyone, taking walks instead of trying so hard to hit the ball, so they were on base to score for when the next guy made contact (which he would because the pitcher was more under pressure to not walk again, give up a homer, or even risk a blooper and having speedsters in scoring position).
Second your bullpen relies too heavily on Kenly and Baez – and Kenley is losing it – your BP is super inconsistent. Joe Kelly was a TERRIBLE signing for you. Love him for fighting the yankees, but thats about it. We werent even willing to pay him in boston, and we’re a very sentimental team that pays for past performance and fan appreciation rather than actual future value (see Eovaldi). While a flamethrower, kelly’s mental fortitude is bi-polar, and when hes panicky (which happens if he the ump calls a ball) he can’t hit the side of a barn.
Its really good for you that Ross wants to stay where he is. Kenta was great but this new rule change would hamper him as a reliever, and it seems like he wants out. Hopefully Graterol will help you, but with his medicals hes not a long-term option @ 100mph, you need more Kershaws and fewer Kellys.
While talking pitching – just imagine if you had Kept Ryu (Beuhler, Kershaw, Price, +May/Gonso/Urias) (though I contend Ryu was coming down off a crazy peak, and unsustainable). You woulda been much better served signing Cole with Crazy money (over aiming for Betts W/ price) rather than letting him go to the yankees, because thats what you need – but at the same time, that coulda let to some realy bad blood given the cheating.
(wife is a dodgers fan, i watch them daily with her)
It’s on us to play better in postseason. Change signs. No excuses.
The Dodgers need to learn to hit to the opposite field and learn to make contact. The continual Home run swings did them in.
Could not agree more. Balls in play, contact, gives best offensive results. Dodgers big swings, misses, and strikeouts are wasted AB’s. Taylor has to be shown the door. Peterson is no loss. Too bad Netts doesn’t want to play in LA…same as Machado who never looked interested playing in LA. Let em go.
Really Mookie? You want to stay in Boston? Then why did you turn down all of Boston’s offers to extend your contract? The only reason they’re trading you is because they’re now discouraged that you will make a deal with them. Don’t act like there’s nothing you can do and don’t have any control. If you want to stay in Boston, then make a reasonable offer.
Boston hasn’t just reneged on Minnesota and LA; they reneged on baseball. Again. They’re now a complete clown show. I don’t understand why we haven’t heard from Manfred.
Lol
Right Mookie wanted to stay in Boston
He had 300 thousand reasons to stay in Boston
He turned all those reasons Down.
F orget Boston they cheated first and foremost.
I was against the Betts trade but this should go down as why other teams shouldn’t trade with Boston…
I hope this deal dies and they have a dark spot on there record where no one wants to trade with them.
They get nothing for him at all…
Or he signs for 500k making them the dumbest team of all time.
I think it was 300 million not thousand. Oh, and if Boston signs him as a FA for 500k, then they are the smartest team around and Betts and his agent are complete idiots. But a deal like that might solidify Betts’ supossed comments to Jim Rice that he wants to be in Boston.
I think the best thing the Dodgers can do is to walk away from this entire trade. Let Betts stay in Boston and see if the ownership wants to invest their money in a home-grown talent, or if they’ll trade him in another effort to save money.
Betts is paying lip service. I’m sure Boston is a familiar, and therefore safe city to stay in, but he had the chance to sign with us long term, repeatedly. He wanted to test the open market. Bogey Signed with us long term, Vartiek did, brady with the pats – for under the potential long term value; Betts could’ve done the same if he really wanted to stay here. Mookie is a fantastic player to watch, but as he said, Baseball is a business, and he’s treating it that way too, don’t be fooled by false overtures.
Frankly, you overpaid for him, with Jeter Downs AND Wong, one or the other + Verdugo would’ve been about right given its a rental coupled with Price’s whale of a contract – (I can’t tell if you guys are eating it all and we also just happen to be providing relief cash equal to half, or if we are officially splitting it from a payroll perspective).
Good luck, hope you win this year. If only as a consolation prize for 2017. (I honestly think we beat you guys straight-up in 2018, there was no game 7; but I also think that 2017 left you so deflated morale-wise that you couldn’t stomach it again)