Mookie Betts’ solo home run in Game 5 of the World Series 2018 helped the Red Sox defeat the very team he now calls home. Now, after six full seasons wearing Dodger blue and collecting three championship rings in Los Angeles, Betts has opened up about his feelings towards the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After LA defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a seven-game World Series, Betts opened up about playing in Los Angeles.

“Ever since I got here, it’s been love at first sight,” Betts expressed during the championship celebration. “I love being a Dodger. I love the city of Los Angeles.”

For a fanbase that watched Betts develop from a second-round draft pick into an MVP, those words stung. Boston gave him his start, his first championship ring, his MVP trophy. But LA gave him something that sounds irreplaceable.

When the Dodgers acquired Betts in February 2020, Boston shipped out their superstar right fielder for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs. Five years later, the winner is obvious.

In the 2020 season, he hit .292 with 16 home runs and helped the Dodgers capture their first World Series in 32 years.

He posted 35 home runs in 2022 and a career-high 39 in 2023. Despite a hand injury in 2024, he delivered in October.

This past season, he moved to shortstop full-time, played 150 games, drove in 82 runs, and won the Roberto Clemente Award.

Manager Dave Roberts showed unwavering faith in Betts during rough patches. When Betts struggled in the World Series, hitting .234 with no home runs through six games, Roberts didn’t flinch.

“He’s one of our guys and I’m going to ride or die with him.”

Next season marks Betts’ seventh year with the Dodgers, surpassing his time with the Red Sox. He has achieved three championships, a $365 million contract through 2032, and established himself on a Hall of Fame trajectory. At 33, he boasts four World Series titles, eight All-Star selections, and six Gold Gloves.

For Red Sox fans, Betts’ success in Los Angeles highlights the franchise’s decision to let go of a generational talent.

Five years later, revisiting the Mookie Betts deal through Bloom’s eyes

The trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles continues to define Chaim Bloom’s tenure in Boston.

At recent GM meetings, the former Red Sox executive revisited the decision that altered both franchises. Bloom reflected on the reasoning behind that move.

He stressed that the decision “wasn’t about the valuation of the talent. It was just about where the organization was.”

Bloom understood that trading a top player is difficult, especially when they are performing well. This situation was even more complicated because of their history as rivals and former teammates. Rather than focusing on Betts’ value or performance, he looked at the bigger picture: the team’s financial obligations, how they could change their roster, and what they believed they could manage in terms of money and team structure.

Bloom’s reflection underscores the tension between player talent and organizational strategy. The Red Sox prioritized financial flexibility over retaining a generational talent. Meanwhile, Betts flourished into a cornerstone player with the Boys in Blue, leaving Boston to wonder what might have been.