Boston Red Sox fan 2020 retrospective: The year they traded Mookie

A look back at a 2020 MLB season Boston Red Sox fans would rather not have happened.

A season removed from winning the World Series, the Boston Red Sox were entering the 2020 season with low expectations even before they lost Chris Sale for the season due to Tommy John surgery.

Even before Red Sox Chief Officer Chaim Bloom came aboard and traded the great Mookie Betts and a disgruntled David Price for Alex Verdugo and a couple of prospects who may or may not pan out in the future.

If the hiring of Ron Roenicke as manager after the team decided to part ways with Alex Cora wasn’t a sign the team was basically throwing away the 2020 season, COVID-19 made sure any glimpse of hope and excitement was wiped out of Red Sox Nation. Not only did COVID strike Eduardo Rodriguez, it ended his season before he even stepped on the mound to build on his 19-win season in 2019.

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No fans in Fenway Park?

Well, that may have been a good thing as the Boston Red Sox started a 60-game shortened season with a 10-20 record with Nathan Eovaldi as the only reliable starter.

It was the team’s worst record through 30 games since 1996 and it was hard to believe just two seasons prior the team won 108 games. But that was back when Mookie Betts was leading a lineup that struck fear in opposing pitchers.

Oh, that Mookie Betts trade.

Still, the team had players like J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi making up a lineup that was still considered one of the top 10 in all baseball. But each of them had slow starts and Benintendi started the season with a slump at the plate so bade, one has to wonder if he will ever have a breakout season.

Besides players like Mitch Moreland, Kevin Pillar and Christian Vazquez, the Red Sox batting lineup didn’t seem to have life in it at all.

While Mookie Betts was having those familiar three-homer games in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, the Red Sox batters were making mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young candidates as they struggled to score runs most of the season.

The Boston Red Sox ended 2020 with signs of hope

But there was hope as the team ended 2020 by winning 6 of their last 10 games. They finished last in the AL East with a 24-36 record but showed that 2021 may be a completely different story.

With Alex Verdugo showing signs of becoming something special and top rookie prospects like Tanner Houck and Bobby Dalbec coming up and sparking the club, Red Sox fans do have something to look forward to heading into next season.

So, whether Jackie Bradley Jr. has played his last game in Boston, Bloom and the Boston Red Sox brass seem contend on making the team a winner again in 2021. They hired Alex Cora back as manager, which in itself should put some life back in the ball club, and they are working to stabilize that starting rotation.

Whether it is a pitcher like Jake Odorizzi, Corey Kluber or both, the starting rotation will be a lot better than it was in 2020 just based on the fact the team will have Eduardo Rodriguez back and perhaps Chris Sale later in the season.

As far as the offense goes, 2021 has to be better for J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi. Those two bats are too talented to repeat struggles in 2020.

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While watching Mookie Betts win the World Series was a shot in the heart, new stars may be emerging for the Boston Red Sox. Bobby Dalbec is a slugger on the rise, Rafael Devers will continue his road to stardom and even a player like Michael Chavis has a chance to power his way into the starting lineup on a consistent basis.

In afterthought, cheers to the end of a 2020 year that took the joy of baseball out of Fenway Park and cheers to 2021, a year where new hope will arise and hopefully make the game of baseball fun again for a fanbase ready for some excitement.

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