It’s no surprise Mookie Betts received a warm welcome from Boston Red Sox fans during his return to Fenway Park on Friday night.
Now, donning a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, Betts spent six seasons with the team, one in which he earned a World Series championship and an MVP award. But for fans, the accolades came second to who Mookie was/is that stretched beyond the diamond.
His former teammate Brock Holt said that if given an offer similar to what the Dodgers did, Betts would still be with the Red Sox.
“I asked him straight up, ‘If the Red Sox offered you what the Dodgers offered you are you staying?’, Holt said on a recent episode of Baseball Isn’t Boring. He was like, ‘Right now?’ I’m like, ‘No, back then. Before you got traded.’ He’s like, ‘Oh, I’m staying.’ Mookie wanted to stay.”
Holt spent all six seasons with Betts on that historic team before Betts was traded to the Dodgers in February of 2020. That July, he signed a 12-year, $365 million deal.
In addition to the money, Betts went on to win a World Series with his new squad that year
“He said it himself, ‘I know people aren’t going to believe me,’ because he turned down X. He turned down this contract or the next one. But he wanted to stay. I truly believe if they would have offered market value for Mookie Betts he would have been a Red Sox for the rest of his career. I truly believe that,” Holt said.
Betts spoke to the media upon is arrival at Fenway Park on Friday. He said he wasn’t sure exactly when he turned the page from that chapter of his life and career.
“I think all the circumstances that allowed it, allowed me to have closure a little easier,” Betts said. “As far as knowing or wondering if I was going to be a Red Sox — yeah, I always thought that was going to be the case and you normal negotiations — obviously one side is really high and one side is really low, and then you kind of negotiate, right, but it didn’t happen, and that’s OK. That’s part of life so it’s OK — it turned out to kind of be a blessing.”
It sure did.
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.