The Boston Red Sox’s window back into contention cracked open in 2025 for the first time in a few years.
Boston has an exciting young core in place, some talented veterans, and looks like a team that’s ready to take the next step after winning 89 games in 2025. It’s been a bit since the fanbase has been this excited about the organization. That’s because the Red Sox had back-to-back last-place finishes in 2022 and 2023 and was a .500 team in 2024. On top of this, there have been some high-profile departures over the last few years as well, including Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Chris Sale among many others.
Things are starting to change for the better, but every now and then comments still bring back some of those past deals, specifically the Betts trade. The Los Angeles Dodgers got a top-10 player in baseball and have already won two World Series with him and have a chance at a third over the next few days. It’s been a while since the Red Sox sent Betts to the Dodgers, but he commented on the deal and it still stings, as transcribed by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“So, anybody could have made that trade,’’ Betts said. “Everybody’s capable of doing the same thing. Everybody can spend money if they want to, and our guys want to. I’m sure there’s a whole money component to it, which I’m not here to debate all that. I just know that everybody has the ability to do this, and we chose to do it. We enjoy winning from the top to the bottom.’”
The Red Sox-Dodgers trade will be talked about forever in Boston
He continued while discussing what makes the Dodgers different from other teams.
“I don’t even know what a dynasty really is,’’ Betts says. “I just know we’ve been good. (Andrew Friedman) and those guys keep putting a good product out there. There’s no secret. There’s no magic formula. We just want to win, and purely your will to win…You look in here, and everybody is driven to win. You want to be with good guys. You want to come to a clubhouse where nobody gets in trouble. Nobody’s idling. Nobody argues. Nobody fights. You kind of come in and take care of your business. We hold each other accountable, which I think is huge.”
Betts has had incredible success over in Los Angeles and very well could win another World Series if Los Angeles takes down the Toronto Blue Jays. His comments about winning and how every team can do what the Dodgers do, in regards to aggressively adding talent isn’t wrong. At the time the Red Sox traded Betts, they didn’t necessarily need to. Boston is a big-market team that realistically could do exactly what the Dodgers have done in recent years.
Luckily, the Red Sox are starting to get back to that level. Hindsight is always 20-20. Boston has exciting pieces to build around, starting with Roman Anthony. Boston knows this and already has given him a long-term deal to keep him around the Red Sox for a long time. Boston is getting better and the team can contend as soon as next year. But, still, the Betts trade likely will never be forgotten until the Red Sox can get back to the World Series themselves, especially if he keeps winning.
