Red Sox DFA Jeter Downs
The main piece in the Mookie Betts trade just got cut. No, I’m not kidding. Jeter Downs has been DFA’d to clear space on the 40-man roster for new acquisition Masataka Yoshida. The Sox also got Alex Verdugo back in that deal but Downs was supposed to be the young infielder piece that made Red Sox fans sleep okay at night following the Betts trade. Now he’s gone and off the roster.
Chris Cotillo of Mass Live was the first to report the news:
I have my thoughts made very clear on the matter. It’s time for Chaim Bloom to be fired. You can’t trade one of the best players in franchise history and then cut the guy you got back. It’s criminal and it’s something that should cost Bloom his job.
The pure numbers here are just awful. I’ll be nice and give Mass Live there link back because this right here tells the story:
“Downs hit just .191 with 14 homers and a .606 OPS in 99 games at Triple-A in 2021, then posted a subpar .197 average and .728 OPS in 81 games for the WooSox in 2022. In a 14-game big league cameo over the summer, he was 6-for-39 (.154) with one homer. He struck out at an absurd 51.2% rate, going down on strikes in 21 of 41 plate appearances. He dealt with an ankle sprain at the end of the season.”
What more do I need to say that hasn’t been said already? If you have been reading the site for a while, I’ve been questioning virtually every decision he’s made. If you needed more, I think this graphic takes care of the rest.
Can’t DFA the big piece of the Mookie Betts trade and keep your job. It’s time. He’s proven to be a small time general manager that’s not capable of putting the big boy pants on to build a real winner.
