Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry tried to get ahead of the criticism Monday by reading a prepared statement about the team's decision to trade Mookie Betts.
Instead, he opened the door for more criticism.
Here's Henry's full statement:
Here's what Henry is taking heat for: After empathizing with Red Sox fans who feel "disbelieving or angry or sad" about Boston trading away its 27-year-old superstar, Henry compared this situation to the team's trade of All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at the 2004 trade deadline.
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"Some of you no doubt felt the same way in 2004 when we traded Nomar, who like Mookie was a hugely popular, homegrown player," Henry said. "All of us in the organization hoped we could avoid ever having to go through something like that again. But most clubs face similar dilemmas from time to time."
Boston Red Sox
Henry added that Boston lost several star players -- specifically Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Jacoby Ellsbury and Manny Ramirez -- while winning four World Series titles over the last 20 years. Red Sox chairman Tom Werner also referenced the Garciaparra trade in Monday's press conference from Fort Myers, noting the team has "been in this situation before."
... But was it really the same situation?
Garciaparra was entering his ninth MLB season in 2004 and already had dealt with several serious injuries. He didn't make his 2004 debut until June 9 due to an Achilles injury and turned 31 just before the deadline.
Yes, Garciaparra was a highly popular player on the final year of his contract. But Betts showed virtually no signs of wear and tear through six seasons with the Red Sox and is very much in his prime. (He's the current favorite to win National League MVP.)
Critics were quick to call out the Red Sox on Twitter for shoehorning Nomar into the Betts trade discussion.
You get the idea.
The Red Sox went on to win the World Series in 2004 after trading Garciaparra in return for Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz.
The 2020 Red Sox? Don't expect them to compete for a World Series title after they traded their best player (and a key member of their rotation in David Price) from a team that won 84 games last season.