Boston Red Sox Jeter Downs DFA makes offseason, Betts trade even worse
The Boston Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment. The move clears the way for the Red SO to add Masataka Yoshida to the 40-man roster. Boston signed the Japanese outfielder to a five-year, $90 million deal earlier this month. Mookie Betts was traded to Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. The Red Sox are the third-most valuable franchise in baseball.
Verdugo is the only player to come out of the Betts-Derek Downs trade to play for Boston. He slashed .280/.328/.405 with 11 home runs last season. Jeter Downs played just 14 games for the Red Sox this season, slashing .154/.171/.256 with one home run. Wong has played 33 games total since joining the club.
The Boston Red Sox finished last in the American League East last year. Mookie Betts and the Dodgers agreed on a 12-year, $365 million contract extension. Xander Bogaerts signed an 11-years,$280 million deal to join the San Diego Padres. The team has more than the combined value of the Padres and Houston Astros. It's become a running joke that the team keeps failing to sign high-end free agents. The good news is that Boston has a number of highly-touted prospects in its farm system.
