The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the Fall Classic after another offseason of blockbuster star additions.
One winter after acquiring the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto led to a championship, the Dodgers retained Teoscar Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw, plus added Blake Snell and several other veteran stars to the mix.
The team made it clear that adding to its top payroll wouldn’t be an obstacle in pursuit of a dynasty. And it was a natural next step in the winning culture the Dodgers established years ago when they acquired superstar Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox.
With Betts heading toward a significant long-term contract five years ago, the Red Sox offered him up and the Dodgers emerged as his trade destination. Reflecting on that trade for an article published on Sunday, Betts sent a harsh reminder that the move was a result of the Dodgers wanting to win more than other teams, including the Red Sox.
“So, anybody could have made that trade,” Betts said, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “Everybody’s capable of doing the same thing. Everybody can spend money if they want to, and our guys want to.”
Betts’ note that the Dodgers’ spending comes simply from a desire to win could be seen as an implication that his former team, at least at the time, lacked that desire. Betts doubled down on the implication that the Dodgers’ advantage comes from a bigger commitment to winning.
“I just know that everybody has the ability to do this, and we chose to do it,” Betts said, per Nightengale. “We enjoy winning from the top to the bottom.”
After their favorite team lost Betts for a relatively minor trade return, Red Sox fans might find the shortstop’s characterization rather harsh. But as they vie for their second straight World Series championship, the Dodgers are proving that a willingness to spend on players like Betts can lead to more winning.
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