The Mookie Betts deal and the 15 worst MLB trades of the past decade

Mookie Betts added to his legend this week when he made his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, hitting a home run in his first game back after missing two months due to a hand fracture.

While moments like that are what many baseball fans have come to expect from Betts over the years, it further solidified his status as one of the greatest players in recent memory. It also led FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd to make a pretty big proclamation.

"The two worst trades in major league baseball history both belong to the Red Sox," Cowherd said. "They gave up Babe Ruth, and they gave up Mookie Betts.

"You think I'm being hyperbolic here, Mookie Betts had been gone for two months. The kid's incredible. When he was in his prime, the Red Sox were like, ‘We're going to move him to the Dodgers.' Yeah, you'll need a search party for the guys they got for him because only one player still remains with the Red Sox."

When the Red Sox traded Betts in February 2020, he was entering the final year of his contract. As Boston failed to get him to agree to a long-term deal, some thought he might have been bound for free agency.

However, Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million deal with the Dodgers in July 2020. Three months later, the Dodgers won the World Series, with Betts playing a key role.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox haven't achieved the highs that they reached with Betts, who won AL MVP in 2018 and helped them win the World Series that same year. Boston ranks 17th in winning percentage, 17th in run differential and 18th in home run differential since the 2020 trade.

On a note that might scare Red Sox fans, the Betts trade came exactly 100 offseasons after they traded Ruth. Of course, it's too early to tell if an 86-year title drought will come