The Boston Red Sox traded Mookie Betts this offseason with a year left on his contract, but there is definitely a lingering state of uncertainty regarding when he hits the open market as he’s expected to do.
Longtime teammate Xander Bogaerts is hopeful that Betts will consider a return to Boston, and is even ready to recruit him if it seems appropriate.
“Hey, you know… probably, maybe in a year,” Bogaerts said, via Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “We’ll see how that goes. He knows what he means to us and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Bogaerts defended Betts for the outfielder’s reluctance to negotiate before reaching free agency, a stark contrast to Bogaerts, who took a hometown discount to sign long-term.
“The one thing I know about him is that he loved being here,” Bogaerts said. “He enjoyed playing with us. He was a great teammate. I can’t really say that he didn’t want to be here. I think that’s a little unfair. He enjoyed his time here and never showed me anything he didn’t like about being here. It’s going to be tough without him.”
When you look at what Betts was supposedly asking from the Red Sox, it’s pretty clear that his sights were set on free agency. The fact that he’s still refusing to talk long-term deal even after his trade backs that up. Maybe once the outfielder sees what’s out there for him, Bogaerts’ recruiting pitch can be successful.
