The Boston Red Sox designated infielder Jeter Downs for assignment on Thursday.
It was a controversial decision for several reasons: Downs is 24 and has top prospect pedigree from not that long ago.
He did struggle during his time in Triple-A and the majors, but he still has youth on his side.
However, the main reason why the transaction has made so much noise on social media is because he was the main prospect the Red Sox received in the 2020 Mookie Betts trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Red Sox got Alex Verdugo, Downs, and Connor Wong from the Dodgers for Betts and David Price.
Sure, Betts wanted to be paid like a superstar and Price already was, so there were financial implications diminishing Boston’s return.
Verdugo is a legit starting-caliber player, but Betts is a bonafide difference-maker and they just gave him away.
This offseason, the Red Sox also failed to retain another superstar.
They lost Xander Bogaerts in free agency, where the San Diego Padres just outbid everyone with their $280 million offer.
Red Sox Fans Got Their Hearts Broken Again
This time it wasn’t a trade, but the Red Sox still lost a star-caliber performer who helped them win a World Series.
Fans have had enough.
A Red Sox analyst used satire to express how the fan base is feeling at the moment, knowing that the primary prospect they got in the Betts trade is now off the roster.
“Hey, the good news is no one will be able to criticize the package they got back for Bogaerts in three years,” Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweeted.
Hey, the good news is no one will be able to criticize the package they got back for Bogaerts in three years.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 15, 2022
That’s right: Bogaerts wasn’t traded, so no one will criticize the package.
They are, however, questioning the entire organization’s belief system, decision-making, and willingness to spend and invest to put together a winning team.
