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Dodgers Fan Thanks Red Sox for Mookie Betts Trade with Billboard by Fenway Park
March 22, 2021
One year after the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Mookie Betts, one fan decided to troll the Boston Red Sox about the trade.
A Dodgers fan rented a billboard right next to Fenway Park thanking the Red Sox for giving them the former American League MVP:
Boston traded Betts and David Price to the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo and prospects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong in February 2020.
One common explanation for why the Red Sox decided to deal their best homegrown player since at least Dustin Pedroia was the ownership wanted to avoid paying the luxury tax penalty in 2020 after missing the playoffs in 2019.
Betts, who was entering his final year of team control at the time of the trade, reportedly turned down a $300 million extension offer from the Red Sox, per The Athletic's Andy McCullough.
"I don't regret turning down that," Betts told reporters prior to the start of last season. "Once I make a decision, I make a decision. I'm not going back and questioning myself. I don't worry about that. The market will be what the market is. We'll just cross that bridge when we get there. But for right now, it's just the safety and health that I'm worried about."
After the Dodgers acquired Betts, they signed him to a 12-year, $365 million contract extension that tied him to the organization through the 2032 season.
The deal paid immediate dividends for the Dodgers, who won their first World Series title since 1988 last season. Betts finished second in NL MVP voting after posting a .292/.366/.562 slash line with 16 homers, 39 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 55 games during the regular season.
Boston missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year and finished last in the AL East with a 24-36 record in 2020.