What a week.
What a winter.
What a team.
Desperate for relevance, backpedaling after a wildly unpopular deal that angered the fan base like nothing since Grady Little didn’t lift Pedro Martinez (or perhaps when Haywood Sullivan forgot to mail Carlton Fisk’s contract), the Red Sox officially begin spring training Wednesday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
Almost a full week after initially agreeing to trade Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, Chaim Bloom finally met with the media at JetBlue Monday and essentially made the same request that ownership did when it was learned that the commissioner’s office was investigating the Red Sox for allegations of cheating in the 2018 season:
Reserve judgment.
The Red Sox want fans to be rational about the Betts trade. They want you to look at the long view. Try to consider financial flexibility.
Sox fans are not having it. They are fans. They do not understand trading their favorite player, a 27-year-old, homegrown former MVP with impeccable credentials, on and off the field.
Would the Yankees trade Aaron Judge? Would the 1979 Royals have traded George Brett?
While Bloom said he expected the Sox to compete in 2020 despite losing Betts and Price, he acknowledged, “It’s reasonable to expect we’re going to be worse without them.”
This was a refreshing bit of honesty at a time when accountability, in my opinion, is in short supply on Jersey Street.
It looked to some of us as if the Sox bosses were caught off-guard by the scorched-earth reception when details of the original Betts trade leaked a week ago.
The trade was panned across America. A USA Today headline read, “The Ugly Reality of the Red Sox Trade,’’ while the Wall Street Journal settled on “Dismantling Of The Red Sox.’’ Closer to home, the deal was roasted from Eastport to Block Island.
This led to the discovery of a medical reason to halt the initial three-team deal. In what appeared to be buyer’s remorse (or lack of diligence), the Sox determined that righthanded flamethrower Brusdar Graterol was too high-risk. Over the objections of the Twins, the Dodgers, agent Scott Boras, and the MLB Players’ Association, the Sox used their medical concerns to change the trade and squeeze an additional pair of minor leaguers from the Dodgers.
The Sox decided that acquiring shortstop prospect Jeter Downs and throw-in catcher Connor Wong was preferable to the high-risk, tons-of-fun Graterol. This buys the ball club time to allow fans to “reserve judgment.’’ Nobody expects anything from Downs or Wong this coming season.
The Dodgers certainly didn’t seem to have any problem acquiring Graterol, and the Sox can only hope he doesn’t turn into Rich Gossage. Meanwhile, there will be lots of pressure on young outfielder Alex Verdugo, who comes to the Hub with a small major league sample and ample baggage. Verdugo is a good-looking young player who had maturity issues in Los Angeles. At Fenway in 2020, Verdugo is going to be the only visible return for Betts and Price.
Yikes. I can’t get my head around the fact that Mookie Betts is gone and JBJ is still here.
Oh, and the Price “throw-in” is hardly a win for Boston. Both the Dodgers and Red Sox will be paying Price $16 million for each of the next three seasons. The only difference is that the Dodgers will have Price winning games for them while the Red Sox scuffle for pitching help. The Sox have less payroll . . . but no Price. How is this a good thing for Boston’s baseball team?
It’s hard to believe that this deal and the clunky manner in which it unfolded will serve Bloom well in the near future. To the outside world, it appeared that Bloom’s first major move was either tweaked by Sox ownership or deemed to be unacceptable by some in his own front office.
Bloom rejected the notion that the original trade unraveled and was delayed because the owners got cold feet after the blowback.
“Absolutely untrue,’’ said the Sox chief baseball officer.
When Bloom was asked about not getting a pitcher in return for Betts and Price, he answered, “At the end of the day, we chose to prioritize talent.’’
That’s an unfortunate sound bite when you just traded Mookie Betts and David Price for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong.
And was it really wise for Bloom to insist “the CBT [competitive balance tax] was not a major factor in us deciding to do this deal”?
This is an enormous moment in Red Sox history. By every measure, the trading of Betts is going to impact the Red Sox franchise competitively, financially, culturally, and at the box office for years to come.
Red Sox owners were not present Monday at JetBlue and instead delivered statements. John Henry, Tom Werner, and Sam Kennedy traditionally are available for media questions after the first full-squad workout, which should be Monday.
Swell.
Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.