Connor Wong Tells Awkward Truth About Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers Trades

Trading Mookie Betts was a wildly unpopular decision the Boston Red Sox made six years ago, and they've angered fans several times since.

Even if last season represented the Red Sox's first positive momentum in a while since the Betts trade left a dark cloud over the organization, much of the goodwill the front office stood to build up was undone by first trading away longtime star third baseman Rafael Devers, then failing to re-sign Alex Bregman as a free agent.

Those two haunting trades also share a common thread -- only one player who the Red Sox received in each of them remains behind.

What Connor Wong thinks of Jose Bello's trade pressure

Boston acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo in the Betts trade, and he went to the New York Yankees before the 2024 season after wearing out his welcome in the organization. The Sox also got infield prospect Jeter Downs, who washed out of affiliated ball and now plays in Japan. Only catcher Connor Wong is still around.

Meanwhile, in just a year after trading away Devers, the Red Sox also shipped off relief pitcher Jordan Hicks, starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, and outfield prospect James Tibbs III in trades that have thus far netted very little value. The only player they still have from the San Francisco Giants in the Devers trade is pitching prospect Jose Bello.

That shared bit of lineage between Wong and Bello is quite awkward, as a backup catcher and a Low-A pitching prospect aren't doing much for the Red Sox compared to what Betts and/or Devers might be contributing. Those two racked up a combined seven All-Star selections as Red Sox.

But Wong seemingly urged Bello not to think about trying to prove himself as the last remaining piece of the Devers trade this week. That's probably the right way to go about it.

“You could think about it like that,” Wong said, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “He probably doesn’t think about it like that, and if he does, he probably shouldn’t. That’s not going to do him any good on the field.”

Bello was off to a solid start to his season with a 3.04 ERA in eight starts in Low-A, but he's currently on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. More importantly, he still has a long way to go to even make it to the majors, much less become an impact starter.

It's not those two players' fault that the Red Sox acquired them in trades that haven't worked out in their favor. It's just one of those baseball things that they'll both have to live with that perception.

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