Felger: Mookie Betts wanted to bag every single dollar

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On Friday’s Felger and Massarotti show, Mike Felger followed up on a brown check mark source regarding All Star outfielder and National League MVP candidate Mookie Betts and why he was trade from the Boston Red Sox with pitcher David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Jeter Downs, outfielder Alex Verdugo and catcher Connor Wong on February 10, 2020.

Felger: Mookie Betts makes his return to Boston and just following up on this again, one of the original Brown checkmarks told me a couple of years ago when I asked him, how come the Red Sox because for a time there, the Red Sox just sort of let it float that they did and that they chipped out a Mookie Betts. Right. Like we didn’t know about the ten year, $300 million offer for some time. So, there was an interim there where they just sort of let it out and let it be known that they shipped out on the player. And I had someone tell me who I think would know that not all they offered in the bag. They offered him a ton of money and he turned it down. And I said, well, why won’t the Red Sox, you know, leak that out? Why won’t they let us know? If not on the record, then, you know, put it out there. So we’re not calling them cheap. And he said, well, they’d rather be considered cheap than an undesirable location. And so that’s just what I heard a couple of years ago, and it sounded real. It sounds unreal then. Sounds real now, especially since Deep Throat here checked back in overnight, says, Yup, this is the official brown check mark from so-and-so and so on. So, yes, you know, I’m informed with the blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I can’t give away my source.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 28: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during a game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 28, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Felger: You said the money stuff is obviously being brought to the forefront this weekend and I stand by it 100%, 100%, as we discussed, because it’s 100% true. Mookie Betts wanted to bag every single dollar and I don’t begrudge him for it. He wanted 400 million and wanted to set records for the Players Association and didn’t make that a secret. So when the Red Sox offered ten and three hundred million plus and he didn’t take it and they weren’t going to four hundred million, they pivot and look to trade. It wasn’t until COVID when Mookie took 365 for 12 years what Los Angeles said ownership was hesitant with Dombrowski after the bad Chris Sale contract as it was, and Dombrowski gets fired at the end of 19 and ownership had their director for him. Bloom, he did okay in the trade because they also had to unload David Price’s contract. And Betts only had one year left trading a transformative top five player in baseball is never easy. He says Mookie wants to play both sides of this because he wants to be perceived by fans as a casualty of Red Sox ownership being cheap. And they are. But he did not want to stay. It’s easy to jump on the poor decisions by John Henry, but there are receipts about these negotiations. Keep up the good work, love the show, blah, blah, blah. So that’s the update and it feels like it’s coming together, as you know. Would have stayed. Yes. Did he want to stay? No. Did the Red Sox really want to give him that contract? No, certainly not what he was asking for. I’m sure the ten and 300, they had to hold their nose and hope he didn’t take it. And he didn’t. So, you know, as I said yesterday, no matter what they say now, the Red Sox didn’t want to sign him to that contract and he didn’t want to be here. And anything else and anything they say now is bull crap.

Mazz: Yeah, that’s how I feel. Again, I think at the end of the day, neither side wanted the deal to happen.

Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!

One of the most memorable things on a baseball field is when emotions overflow and a brawl breaks out as the crowd frenzies. Just the last two decades of Red Sox fandom have brought some of the most legendary shoving matches in the sport’s history.

None of these brawls touch the infamous 1984 battle between the Padres and Braves, where fans got involved and it became the longest struggle ever on a baseball diamond. Still, something about Jason Varitek shutting Alex Rodriguez up has just as big of an impact.

Some players shy away from trading blows with other teams. Mookie Betts is always one of the first players that comes to mind after he declared that he was a lover and not a fighter back in 2018. Let’s just say the likes of Joe Kelly are on the opposite side of the spectrum, who don’t fear that confrontation one it.

I’d also throw Pedro Martinez into that category as well. He never feared pitching inside, even if it meant a fist was coming in high and tight towards his head a few innings later.

Feels like tempers very rarely reach the levels of some of the brawls even 10 years ago, because of how aggressive umpires act today. If there’s even an inclination of retaliation or some type of feud playing out, usually the pitchers is thrown out in seconds. Terry Collins knows that better than anyone, after Home Plate Umpire Tom Hallion explained that his ass was in the jackpot.

Just a heads-up, none of these rankings are listing one brawl over the other. This is just a collection of the Top 8 brawls in the history of the Boston Red Sox. If we missed any or you have a good submission, don’t hesitate to send them over on Twitter (or X?).

Sounds like Rick Porcello retired today.Kevin Youkilis can finally sleep with both eyes closed.pic.twitter.com/bNKNHwMbY7

Nobody knew when Kevin Youkilis and Rick Porcello decided to clash, that Porcello would end up being a key figure for the franchise from 2015-2019 and help bring home a World Series. Both were immediately ejected after wrestling on the ground, but I’m pretty sure that everyone is still surprised that a young Porcello was able to throw Youkilis around. It all started with Junichi Tazawa hitting Miguel Cabrera the night before.

I’ll never forget this brawl. Coco Crisp absolutely embarrassed James Shields.Gotta retire after this if you’re Shields. You can’t come back from a clean dodge and right hook to your face. pic.twitter.com/VqgPps52CP

Arguably one of the most satisfyingly brawls in the history of baseball, as Coco Crisp dodged James Shield like he was in the Matrix before landing a right hook. This feud sparked after Joe Maddon claimed that Crisp tried to intentionally hurt Akinori Iwamura on a slide the night before. Both were immediately tossed, along with Jonny Gomes who threw a few punches at Crisp while he was still on the ground.

August 29, 2000: At Tropicana Field, Red Sox’s Pedro Martinez hits Devil Rays’ Gerald Williams who charges the mound and puts Pedro on the ground before the benches clear.Pedro struck out the next 24 for a complete-game 1-hitter and an 8-0 Red Sox win. pic.twitter.com/gvfHQf2aiD

As I mentioned above, Pedro Martinez never had an issue throwing inside or at someone to prove a point. In this case, it led to Gerald Williams putting him on his ass pretty quickly to start the game. Still, Martinez wasn’t ejected like Williams and several of his teammates, which set the stage for the legendary right-hander to toss a 1-hit shutout at Tropicana Field.

#OTD in 2018, Joe Kelly put Tyler Austin in his place as the #RedSox laid the foundation for their 2018 championship run with one of the most memorable brawls in recent history.This is why you don’t spike Brock Holt.#DirtyWater | #MLB | #Yankeespic.twitter.com/DoyrHEUW6h

Joe Kelly Fight Club was one of the biggest calling cards of the 2018 season. After Brock Holt was spiked by Austin earlier in the game and benches clear, Kelly wasted no time getting his revenge in the 7th inning. It was the realest the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry had felt in quite some time.

On this day in 2004, an infamous brawl during the height of the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry. Alex Rodriguez gets plunked by Bronson Arroyo, which leads to benches clearing and dog pile fights. pic.twitter.com/4ND9kN6bs8

One of the most hyped moments in Red Sox history was when Jason Varitek finally shut up Alex Rodriguez with his catcher’s mitt. This was the peak of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry and the game’s finish was just as electric as the brawl, with Bill Mueller hitting a walk-off 2-run homer against Mariano Rivera. Many look at this game as when the magic started for “the idiots.”

October 11, 2003: Game 3 ALCS. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Pedro sends Don Zimmer to the ground. pic.twitter.com/nqXET6aCTg

Red Sox and Yankees were tied at 2-2 in the 2003 ALCS, with Pedro Martinez on the mound and in typical fashion, he had no issue throwing at Karim Garcia. With tempers running high, Garcia was mouthing off on the basepaths, before Martinez starting getting into it with Jorge Posada in the Yankees dugout. In the bottom half of the inning, Roger Clemens misses with a pitch up and Manny Ramirez starts walking towards the mound before chaos ensues.

Seconds later, Martinez defends himself against a charging Don Zimmer, throwing the 72-year-old bench coach on the ground. In the following days, Zimmer apologized to the entire Yankees organization. Somehow there were no ejections in the entire game.

An epic bench-clearing brawl breaks out between the Boston #RedSox & New York #Yankees at Yankee Stadium after Lou Piniella collides with catcher Carlton Fisk! Bill Lee's left shoulder is separated in the skirmish! (1976) #MLB #Baseball #History pic.twitter.com/Piyj2xNNQi

Back in the time machine to the days when a runner could collide with a catcher, Calrton Fisk and Lou Pinella got into a wrestling match after the two collided on a bang-bang play at home. Ultimately, the benches and bullpens emptied, with Bill Lee suffering a broken collarbone. One of the most heated moments in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

If David Ortiz connected on this uppercut, I’m pretty sure Kevin Gregg would’ve went over the Monster. pic.twitter.com/Yb3EdXKYv4

While there were more punches thrown in the previous brawls, David Ortiz charging the mound after lifting a ball to center field always stands out. If Ortiz had landed his uppercut, Gregg might’ve ended up flying over the Green Monster. It left Ortiz and Gregg both getting ejected, alongside Jim Saltalamacchia and Jim Johnson.