Perhaps you have heard of USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Personally, I have been following ‘Nighty’ for a number of years. He weighs in on the national baseball landscape, and I think he does a pretty decent job.
However, his tweets have a rhythm or at the very least an acquired taste. At times, I don’t know if he’s trying to jinx a team, cracking a joke, or stone cold serious. For instance, look at what Nightengale tweeted out a few hours ago on Thursday. Indeed, it’s regarding the recent trade of Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Let's stop calling it a #RedSox trade of Mookie Betts and David Price: It's nothing more than a sheer salary dump, getting a pitcher with arm issues and an outfielder with other concerns.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 6, 2020
Now, I kneed you to decide if Nightengale is pulling our chains, or what he’s really thinking here. Here is what the tweet reads:
“Let’s stop calling it a Red Sox trade of Mookie Betts and David Price. It’s nothing more than a sheer salary dump, getting a pitcher with arm issues; and an outfielder with other concerns.”
Excuse me, what?
The Dodgers just pulled off arguably the trade of the last calendar year. While on the Red Sox side, the return (still being finalized) is questionable; what choice did Boston have?
Perhaps Nightengale is calling it like he sees it. But the issue I have most with it is Price was remarkably effective even with those said arm issues in 2019. Price had 128 strikeouts in 107 innings. He’s moving to the NL where he will be a spare-change pitcher for the Dodgers. While I don’t love Price, I’ll take my chances with that at the back end of a rotation any day.
Furthermore, it’s Mookie Betts. Whatever ‘other concerns’ one might have; the guy is capable of dropping a seven to nine WAR season like it’s nothing. Once again, sign me up.
With no indicator that he’s kidding, what did Nightengale mean? And like, was he serious?
