"I f****ng love everybody in Boston" - Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts clarifies his stance on his former team the Boston Red Sox
When Mookie Betts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, many expected residual animosity between the star player and his former team, the Boston Red Sox, but that does not seem to be the case. In a recent podcast, the five-time All-Star revealed that he harbors no ill will toward his former team, and he has nothing but love for the city and the ball club.
This comes as a pleasant surprise. Far too often, issues linger when a superstar leaves a team, but that is not so for Betts and the Boston Red Sox.
Mookie's comments were posted to Twitter by "The Bradfo Sho," after the podcast featured the Dodgers outfielder in an interview.
"According to @mookiebetts, there's never been any lost love for Boston" - @ The Bradfo Sho
After winning a World Series with the Boston Red Sox, a bond was formed forever between the player and the city, and it is good to see it has not gone by the wayside.
Mookie Betts was the biggest winner of the Boston Red Sox trade
When the Boston Red Sox traded the already dominant outfielder in 2020 it became clear that the team was entering a rebuilding phase, a phase that could not afford the MVP candidate. In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Mookie Betts would play a pivotal part in the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series championship in 2020.
Since the trade, the perennial All-Star has only improved, with many thinking he is the best player in the MLB, as Blake Harris expressed via a tweet.
"MOOKIE BETTS IS THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL" - @ Blake Harris
Being able to stake a claim to the title of best in an era with players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Mike Trout is certainly an honor, and Mookie Betts is deserving of it.
The MLB posted this compilation of the superstar's top plays from May on YouTube, and it contextualizes just how good he was during the month.
The young star is quickly growing into a leadership role with the Los Angeles Dodgers, showing his maturity after a tough loss, posted by SportsNet LA on Twitter.
"We have 162 games, it's just a loss. It is what it is, you keep it moving." - Mookie Betts, via @ SportsNet LA
The growth that we have seen from Mookie Betts both on and off the field since being traded by the Boston Red Sox would certainly lead fans to believe the move was actually in his best interest. With the amount of success he has found with the Los Angeles Dodgers, its hard to argue about who won that trade.
A trade can often lead a player to resent the team, and even the fanbase, who can be quick to turn on a player who is no longer wearing their uniform, so it is good to see that the relationship is full of love with zero animosity between Mookie Betts and the city of Boston.