Mookie Betts wanted to stay.
At least according to Hall of Famer and former Red Sox slugger Jim Rice, who says Betts admitted to him on Tuesday — when he was traded to the LA Dodgers — that Boston was where he wanted to remain:
Hall of Famer Jim Rice spoke to Mookie Betts last night.
Betts, according to Rice: "This is my home. I don't want to go anyplace else."@RedSox | #RedSox pic.twitter.com/ZUJeoCVrUt
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 5, 2020
“I talked to Mookie last night and even when I was doing NESN,” Rice said on MLB Network Radio.