Jeter Downs, a key piece going from the Dodgers to the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade, signed with the Nationals on Thursday after Boston DFA’d him.
A little less than three years ago, the Dodgers got Mookie Betts and David Price from the Red Sox for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs. It was a blockbuster trade that sent ripples around baseball.
Verdugo was the key player going back to Boston, and while he played very well in 2020, his last two seasons have been less impressive, with his offense dropping down close to league average and his defense taking a major step backwards. Wong has amassed 70 plate appearances in the big leagues over the last two seasons, posting an OPS+ of 78 (22% worse than league average).
Which brings us to Downs. Downs struggled in two years in the minors with Boston, showing some pop with his bat but not much else, batting a combined .193 with a .661 OPS in two seasons in Triple-A. Still, he made his big-league debut in June and July, batting .154 with a .427 OPS with 21 strikeouts in 41 plate appearances with Boston.
The Red Sox have apparently seen enough, as they designated Downs for assignment earlier this week and officially lost him on Thursday.
Downs came to the Dodgers along with Josiah Gray from the Reds four years ago in the trade that sent Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Kyle Farmer, and Alex Wood to Cincinnati. He now rejoins Gray in Washington, as Gray was the centerpiece of the trade between L.A. and the Nats that brought Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Los Angeles in 2021.
Downs’ one year in the Dodgers farm system was easily the best of his minor-league career, sandwiched between inferior performances with Cincinnati and Boston. He’ll now see if the Nationals can help him regain the form that made him one of the top 50 prospects on baseball when he was traded.
