Red Sox DFA Jeter Downs, who was a major piece of the 2020 Mookie Betts return

BOSTON -- The Red Sox announced their five-year pact with Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida on Thursday, but they buried an interesting tidbit in the release. That would be the release of infielder Jeter Downs, who just two years ago was seen as a major piece of the Mookie Betts trade.

So much for all of that. While Betts continues to thrive with the Dodgers, the Red Sox have Alex Verdugo's hot-and-cold bat and an occasional start behind the plate by Connor Wong to show for their blockbuster deal with Los Angeles. So essentially, not much in return for a potential future Hall of Famer.

Now they don't even have Downs, who was the 24th ranked prospect in the Boston system. In his two seasons with the franchise, Downs failed to hit above .200 in either of his stints with Triple-A Worcester. He played in 14 games at the Major League level for Boston in 2022, and went just 6-for-49 at the plate with 21 strikeouts.

Across all levels with the Dodgers and Red Sox organizations, Downs hit just .235 with a .331 OBP.  

Downs being DFA'd will raise further questions about Chaim Bloom's ability to identify top prospects from other organizations. That was supposed to be his strong point when he left Tampa Bay and was given the keys to the Red Sox front office.

But the team has benefited very little from the Betts trade, and Thursday's news is even more frustrating when you remember that Downs wasn't even in the original package. The trade was initially a three-team trade that included the Twins, with pitcher Brusdar Graterol coming back to Boston. But the Sox didn't like some of the medical info on the righty flamethrower, and instead got Downs from the Dodgers, with Graterol going to Los Angeles.

In three seasons with Los Angeles, Graterol owns a 3.64 ERA over 103 appearances. 

Downs' release signals another miss by Chaim Bloom, which are really piling up over the last few seasons.