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Mookie Betts—who may be gone from Boston by Opening Day 2020—
was the only Red Sox Gold Glove recipient for the 2019 season. Betts copped his fourth straight Rawlings award—and yet he may be dealt away by Red Sox ownership to stay under the 2020 MLB salary cap. Betts was 10th among all MLB outfielders with a "defensive runs saved" score of 15. Since the start of the 2016 season, Mookie leads all MLB players (at any position) with a total of 98 defensive runs saved. The loss of Betts would be a severe body blow to the Red Sox franchise—giving away a five-tool player in the prime of his career (age 27). It would be kind of like the San Francisco Giants trading away
Wille Mays in 1958—with 17 more All-Star calibre seasons left in his career. Boston did have three runners-up in the Gold Glove race—
Andrew Benintendi in LF,
Jackie Bradley, Jr. in CF and
Christian Vazquez behind the plate.
