The Red Sox made the difficult decision to trade Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in January. Fortunately for Boston, it didn't move Betts the first time a National League team showed interest in acquiring the talented outfielder.
The Milwaukee Brewers actually made a play for Betts in 2013, according to former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington.
“(Ex-Brewers general manager) Doug Melvin was the first to ask, so I always give Doug credit,” Cherington recently told MLB.com. “He was the first one to ask for him.”
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The Brewers were looking to deal reliever Francisco Rodriguez, and they wanted Betts in return. The Red Sox said no, and instead made other trades that year, including a deal to acquire veteran starter Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox before the trade deadline. Boston went on to win the 2013 World Series a few months later.
The decision to keep Betts in 2013 proved to be one of the best moves of Cherington's tenure in Boston. Betts would become one of baseball's best players and an American League MVP winner in 2018 -- the same season he helped lead the Red Sox to 108 wins and a World Series title.
The Brewers almost were the Red Sox's opponent in the 2018 World Series. Milwaukee lost to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series that year. Maybe the Brewers would've won the series if Betts was in their lineup. What we do know is that Betts and 2018 NL MVP winner Christian Yelich in the same outfield would've been fun to watch.
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Betts currently is two wins away from earning the second championship of his career. The Dodgers and Rays are tied at two victories apiece entering Sunday night's Game 5 of the 2020 World Series. Los Angeles has come close to winning the World Series over the last few seasons but its title drought still extends back to 1988.
If Betts is able to help the Dodgers seal the deal this year, he'll take a huge step toward cementing his status as a great player for two iconic MLB franchises.