Jeter Downs distances himself from Red Sox-Dodgers blockbuster

BOSTON --- Alex Verdugo wasn’t the only former member of the Dodgers commenting on a certain offseason trade Friday.

Jeter Downs chimed in as well. He and Connor Wong were the two minor leaguers who came east along with Verdugo in a February blockbuster. Mookie Betts, David Price and $48 million went to Los Angeles, as the Red Sox shipped out a former American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner.

"It’s still baseball," Downs said. "It [...]

BOSTON --- Alex Verdugo wasn’t the only former member of the Dodgers commenting on a certain offseason trade Friday.

Jeter Downs chimed in as well. He and Connor Wong were the two minor leaguers who came east along with Verdugo in a February blockbuster. Mookie Betts, David Price and $48 million went to Los Angeles, as the Red Sox shipped out a former American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner.

"It’s still baseball," Downs said. "It doesn’t matter who you got traded for or what you got traded for. Just go out and play the game, have fun and let everything else take care of itself."

Downs is rated as Boston’s No. 2 minor leaguer per SoxProspects.com while Wong is listed as its top catcher in the Red Sox system. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom moved Betts based on his impending free agency and shed half of Price’s remaining salary on the seven-year deal he signed prior to 2016. Betts wound up signing a 12-year extension that will keep him with the Dodgers for the remainder of his career.

Wong is at Fenway Park this weekend with Boston and took batting practice with the final hitting group prior to each of the first two games with the Blue Jays. Downs has alternated between second base – his possible future position as a big leaguer – and shortstop during simulated games at McCoy Stadium.

"I want to be elite at both sides of the ball," Downs said. "That’s where I’m trying to get to."

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