Red Sox need to do whatever it takes to keep Mookie Betts

After reports that the Red Sox could part ways with J.D. Martinez or Mookie Betts, it’s extremely vital that they focus on keeping the latter.

With the Boston Red Sox now nine games shy of the American League Wild card spots, the season is looking just about done. The Sox have dropped their last four games in a week which also saw the team drop their president of operations, Dave Dombrowski. Yes, the man who was responsible for putting together a World Series-winning side, which prospered less than twelve-months ago, finds himself out of that same job.

Was this the right thing to do for the future of this franchise? Hopefully. But whoever takes over is going to have some even bigger decisions to make, as the Red Sox look to cut down their payroll to move forward.

Boston Globe writer Alex Speier reported on Monday that the Sox are unlikely to keep both Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, two of this teams biggest stars:

It’s not a surprise that this kind of talk is coming up at this time. With the team’s playoff aspirations pretty dead and Dombrowski heading out the door, it’s time to look towards next season and think about what moves the rebuffed front office is likely to make.

But the realization of Boston losing either Betts or Martinez, or potentially both, is quite absurd. Just eleven months ago these two stars were a two-headed monster that led the Sox to October and beyond. While the Red Sox have played very sub-par for their standards this season, and while Betts and Martinez’s performances haven’t been as incredible as the likes of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, the two have still had stellar seasons – and both will be significant losses to this franchise if they do part ways this offseason.

For me, the Red Sox have to be looking at one key move over any other. That’s to keep Mookie in Boston for the long-term.

For payroll purposes, keeping so many stars on one team wasn’t always going to work out, especially when said stars had to be paid. Martinez has a player option for next season – which could potentially make the decision very easy for the Sox and would give them plenty of leeway to keep Betts at Fenway.

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Betts is eligible for another year of arbitration before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021. But, he’s due for a huge contract and if the Sox don’t plan on giving him what someone else will, then they’ll want to trade him to get assets. Whoever comes in to replace Dombrowski will want to focus on getting Betts his long-term deal if they really want what’s best for the team going forward.

Allowing last season’s MVP to leave, at absolutely any cost, would be bizarre, to say the least. This guy isn’t someone who’s going to produce one season of wonder – he’s the complete five-tool player and a generational talent, a talent that if you somehow get on your team should make you feel like you’ve won the lottery. Why give this kind of talent up for anything? The new front office shouldn’t even have to think about it.

Betts’ ability in the field isn’t in question. His catch last week against the Yankees isn’t made by to many other players in the game. As for his presence at the plate, you can’t really say he’s had a down year. Obviously he set the mark pretty high for himself last season, batting .346 and 2019 Mookie hasn’t been 2018 Mookie, but he’s still been a pretty good Mookie. He’s also only four homers and two RBI off of his 2018 MVP season totals with seventeen games to go in the year.

There have been some tough spots during the year, but there have also been more than enough performances to suggest that his MVP form wasn’t just a one-off. His two at-bat, two-pitch, two-homer start to the Twins game last Thursday shows just how much of a weapon he is at the plate. If he swings at something you know there’s a good chance of it going yard and can see why pitchers are so afraid of him. His lead-off homer Tuesday night against the Blue Jays on the first pitch of the game looked so easily done. And although the lack of RBI opportunities, you can see why Betts hits lead-off for this team, and so successfully.