Red Sox GM disputes that team stalled Mookie Betts trade due to backlash

The Boston Red Sox backed out of the initial three-team trade they agreed upon involving Mookie Betts, but they insist the decision had nothing to do with backlash from fans or the media.

Betts was officially traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. The original deal for Betts also involved the Minnesota Twins, but Boston backed out over concerns about 21-year-old pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol’s medical history. When discussing the trade for the first time, Red Sox general manager Chaim Bloom insisted negative reaction had nothing to do with the original deal falling through.

Bloom: Reports that backlash impacted the team's willingness to conclude the initial trade are 'absolutely untrue'

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) February 11, 2020

Bloom said the trade was not delayed by concern about fan and media backlash. They knew it wasn’t going to be popular from the start.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) February 11, 2020

Bloom could say anything, and many people are not going to believe it. The Dodgers ended up working out a separate trade with the Twins in which LA will get Graterol, so obviously other doctors were not concerned about the pitcher’s medical history. That makes Boston’s decision to back out seem even more suspicious.

There have been hints that the Red Sox’s ownership group changed course because of the way they were roasted for the original Betts trade, and it’s not that hard to believe given how everything unfolded.