On Wednesday, Mookie Betts signed a massive, 12-year, $365 million extension with the Dodgers after he was dealt to L.A. this offseason.
The narrative in Boston was Betts had no plans to re-sign, which is why the team traded him this offseason.
Speaking to reporters via Zoom Thursday, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy reacted to the deal.
"That was mixed emotions," he said. "Obviously we think the world of Mookie Betts, that's not a secret to anybody. Incredible young man. Incredible baseball player. Very happy for him and his family. I'd be less than honest if I didn't say there was a sense of disappointment, closure and a finality to it.
"But look, we have a plan. We are very confident in the direction of our baseball operations. But it's obviously hard to see Mookie Betts sign a long-term deal somewhere else. We wish him well but we now move on as a group."
Kennedy acknowledged the two sides had talks, but couldn't get a deal done.
"It was widely reported that we had discussions over the years of trying to work a deal that worked for both sides," he said. "Unfortunately we couldn't get there. So now we move forward. We wish him well and hope we're playing against him in October and it'll be fun to watch the rest of his career. It is disappointing. But we've got to move forward."
The Red Sox will open the 2020 season Friday night at home against the Orioles.
