Red Sox
“I just thought it was crazy.”
Six years ago, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaers, and Rafael Devers were all entrenched in the heart of the Red Sox lineup.
Just a season removed from winning a World Series title in arguably the most dominant season in Red Sox history, that trio was seemingly poised to lead Boston to more championships for the foreseeable future — especially with Bogaerts and Betts standing as the elder statesmen in that group at just 26 years old.
Now, all three former Red Sox standouts call the West Coast home. Betts was traded to the Dodgers in February 2020 in a franchise-altering deal, while Bogaerts ultimately walked in free agency in December 2022 — signing an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres.
Now, Devers is also making the move to the NL West — as the Red Sox traded their star slugger to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in one of the more shocking moves in recent memory.
The move resonated with Betts and the Dodgers, especially considering that Los Angeles was just wrapping up a three-game series against San Francisco on Sunday night.
“I just thought it was crazy,” Betts said postgame of the Devers deal to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “Nothing really to say, it’s just crazy.”
Betts was also asked about the trade during postgame coverage on ESPN, given his ties to Devers, the Red Sox, and their respective dramatic exits from Boston.
“I was the same as everyone else,” Betts said of his reaction to the trade. “I was shocked and stunned, but I know … Carita [Dever’s nickname], that’s going to make their ball team a lot better.”
“For me, I don’t have to face him,” Betts said of the battling with Devers in the NL West moving forward. “So for me, I’m not really too worried about it. It’s going to be what it’s going to be. But I know for our pitchers — it definitely does help their ball club. It helps any team. Like I said, everybody knows what he does. I think he’ll make this NL West more interesting.”
Betts, who will also return to Fenway with the Dodgers from July 25-27, will also battle Devers for the first time as a San Francisco Giant on July 11.
For now, Betts told Ardaya that he had no plans to reach out to Devers to gauge his reaction to Sunday’s move. But he did add that he’s looking forward to catch up on the diamond with his former teammate moving forward — especially in the same time zone.
“I’ll see him real soon and I’ll be laughing and joking with him as I always do,” Betts said of Devers.
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