Fox’s Colin Cowherd Has an Over-The-Top Mookie Betts Take
Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd believes the Mookie Betts trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers was one of the worst trades in MLB history.
The Boston Red Sox traded Betts in Feb. 2020 in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo and propsects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. The Dodgers also received pitcher David Price. Los Angeles agreed to pay half of the remaining $96 million owed to the right-hander.
“The two worst trades in major league baseball history both belong to the Red Sox,” Cowherd said. “They gave up Babe Ruth, and they gave up Mookie Betts.
“You think I’m being hyperbolic here, Mookie Betts had been gone for two months. The kid’s incredible. When he was in his prime, the Red Sox were like, ‘We’re going to move him to the Dodgers.’ Yeah, you’ll need a search party for the guys they got for him because only one player still remains with the Red Sox.”
Ruth landed in New York after the Yankees purchased his contract from the Red Sox. This was the trade that transformed baseball forever. The 1920s Yankees lineup was later dubbed as Murderers’ Row, with Ruth at the helm.
Ruth became the first man in baseball history to hit 60 home runs in a season but there are several unforgettable numbers associated with the legendary Yankees player.
Flash forward a century, and the Red Sox have played a pivotal role in transforming two of the best organizations in baseball.
In July 2020, Betts cemented his place in Los Angeles history after he signed a 12-year, $365 million deal with the Dodgers.
In Betts’ first game back, he hit a homer against the Milwaukee Brewers to help the Dodgers cement a 5-2 victory. The Los Angeles star was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and added a stolen base, an impressive feat given Betts was sidelined by a fractured left hand in June.
The return of Betts came in the middle of a tight National League West Division race. The Dodgers have a slight lead over division rivals, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
In a season rampant with injuries, the Dodgers have an opportunity to show the club’s resilience with a deep run into the postseason.
Betts is the selfless leader of Los Angeles and although he may not be the Sultan of Swat, he has the opportunity to turn this season into the Golden Age of Dodgers baseball. Fans are desperate for a World Series title and there is no one better than Betts to lead the franchise to another ring.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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A deep run into the season? Hahahaha. It is quite possible they even miss the playoffs this year. If they make it, they won’t go far. They are gut-poor this year. The teams that won 100 games – even if they didn’t win it all – were RELENTLESS. They’d get behind and the other team was not safe, because they kept coming. They’d get ahead and they’d keep pounding away, it was hard to catch them. This team seems to slack off if they get a lead, and fold early if they get behind. Yeah, they’ve had injuries, but it seems to me that a lot of it is mental. Something intangible is missing with this team.
So, basically, they’re playing like they have in the last 3 years of playoffs. Something intangible has definitely been missing there. I mean, current losing streak in playoffs is at 6 in a row and they’re 3 – 10 in their last 3 series. Against teams they finished 18, 22, and 16 games in front of. Mattingly, Roberts’ predecessor, was fired for an NLCS loss, followed by 2 NLDS losses. Sound familiar?
Since the midway point of the season (50-31 at that point), they are 23 – 21. Not exactly lighting it up. Roberts’ failures as a manager have always been obvious in the post-season; they are just now becoming more evident in the regular season as the team has struggled. He’s the Marty Schottenheimer of MLB. He’s generally a fine manager when things are going well, but utterly lost when they aren’t and he has absolutely no solutions. And no, it’s not 100% on him, but if he gets credit for four 100 win seasons in a row for the first time in MLB history, then those set expectations (and they have failed in the NLDS in 3 of those years), then he certainly deserves some of the blame.