Mookie Betts’ return to Fenway Park for the first time since he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers was everything you would want it to be. He received a standing ovation and admitted it offered him some closure.
Naturally, his homecoming introduced so many “what-ifs,” from former teammates, including Hall of Fame designated hitter David Ortiz. His comments were a little more blunt, however.
“We know it was a mistake. We know. We know because numbers don’t lie. Numbers don’t lie,” Ortiz said on the ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ podcast. “But that happens. This type of mistake happens sometimes and there’s not much you can do about it.”
Betts was traded to the Dodgers in February 2020. That July, he signed a 12-year, $365 million deal.
The money was well worth it for the Dodgers. Betts, who’s currently in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak, is finding himself once again in MVP Award talks.
“I think that the minute he went to the Dodgers my emotions shifted a little bit because that guy, he was the perfect franchise boy for an organization like this one,” Ortiz said. “Mookie has the personality — I’m not even going to talk about the player because that’s off the charts — and he’s young, very mature. He’s the full package. He is the full package.”
It’s no different than what he’s been saying about Mookie from the beginning.
Betts is currently slashing .315/.407/.611 with 35 home runs and a National League-leading 1.018 OPS in his seventh All-Star season.
As Big Papi says, the numbers speak for themselves, but Betts has the ability to call the shots and anyone who’s ever played with him would do it all over again.
Former teammate Brock Holt said he once asked Betts what would have happened if the Red Sox had offered the same money that LA gave him, and Betts said he absolutely would have stayed in Boston.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.