Red Sox should still have regret over Mookie Betts trade as he makes Fenway return

It is going to be a big weekend at Fenway Park.

Not only are the Boston Red Sox in stiff competition for an American League wild-card spot and hosting one of the league's top teams (the Los Angeles Dodgers), but outfielder Mookie Betts is making his first return to Boston following the 2020 trade that sent him out west.

It should also be a harsh reminder of what could have been for the Red Sox over the past four years. There should be an overwhelming sense of regret over the ballpark when Betts gets announced as a visitor for the first time. 

With the Red Sox and Betts unable to come to terms on a new contract extension, Boston traded him, along with starting pitcher David Price, to the Dodgers in February 2020 for the underwhelming return of Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. 

It seemed like robbery for the Dodgers at the time, and the past few years have only further proven that.

On the Boston side, Verdugo and Wong still remain on the team, but Downs was claimed on waivers by the Washington Nationals. 

Verdugo has been the best part of the return and proven to be a slightly above average major league outfielder. He is perfectly acceptable as a starter on a good team but is not any sort of a difference-maker. There are 25 different versions of Verdugo floating around the league, and you do not need to trade a future Hall of Famer to get one of them.

Wong is a decent catcher, but like Verdugo he is not somebody you are going to make as the centerpiece of your team.

Betts, meanwhile, has continued on as one of the best players in baseball and even helped the Dodgers win a World Series in 2020. He has won two Gold Gloves and been in the top-five of the MVP voting two different times. This season he is leading the National League in slugging percentage and OPS.

What has to sting for Red Sox fans is that with Betts the past few years could have been dramatically different in Boston.

Having a player like Betts in the middle of the lineup could have been a game-changer for the 2021 team that went to the ALCS and lost in six games. With Betts, the Sox might actually be in a playoff spot right now — and even comfortably so — instead of trying to claw their way in. 

The Red Sox are one of the giants in Major League Baseball and should be expected to spare no expense when it comes to building a championship-caliber team. You should not expect them to trade established superstars over money or financial concerns. Yet it happened, and it completely changed the course of history for both the Dodgers and Red Sox — continues to to this day.