The Over The Monster Podcast: The Mookie Trade

Editor’s Note: This was recorded before news broke of Graterol’s medical issue.

It has been quite the eventful past 24 hours. After months of non-stop speculation Mookie Betts is no longer a member of the Red Sox. Writing that last sentence is tough. Betts is exactly the type of player that you dream about having your home team develop. Nothing we say or write is going to erase the sting that comes with Betts wearing Dodger blue.

On this episode of the podcast Keaton and I break down the trade from all angles as best we can. We spend the majority of the episode addressing how the team got to this point where they felt they needed to shop Betts. We discuss the return as well, but mostly this podcast focuses on Mookie Betts and why we are where we are.

Keaton takes a decidedly more anti-ownership stance, one that is shared by many of you and probably the dominant view on Twitter. I spread the blame around a bit more evenly while giving the ownership group the benefit of the doubt. You are going to want to listen to this entire episode to get the full picture.

A trade of this magnitude, and we haven’t even mentioned David Price yet, happens for myriad reasons. We get into the following:

• How much of Betts insistence of going to free agency dictated this move?
• How much of it was caused by exorbitant spending by Dave Dombrowski?
• How severe would the luxury tax ramifications have been if the team did not reset the payroll for 2020?
• Are the Red Sox in a better or worse position to compete in 2021?
• How much worse will the team be in 2020?
• What can we expect out of Alex Verdugo and Brusdar Graterol?
• Who is the Red Sox fifth starter now?
• Is this Red Sox lineup still elite without Betts?
• How much does it help the Red Sox or hurt the team by also getting rid of Price?

We hope you enjoy the episode. While this might stink, I urge you not to lose your optimism for 2020. There is still a ton of talent on this roster and reasons to believe a wildcard is within reach. You can follow both Keaton and I on Twitter here: Keaton (@TheSpokenKeats) and Jake (@DevJake)