Before coming over to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster trade, outfielder Mookie Betts had accomplished a lot of great things in a Boston Red Sox uniform.
Betts was a four-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time Silver Slugger, AL MVP, and World Series champion all before the age of 27. He was well on his way to becoming an all-time Red Sox legend...and then he was dealt to Los Angeles.
From the moment Betts signed his 12-year, $365 million contract extension to stay in LA after the trade, it was clear that he would eventually go down as a Dodgers legend, not a Red Sox legend.
Mookie Betts reaches new milestone with Dodgers
With a two home run game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Monday's loss, Betts passed a new milestone and made it official.
He has now hit more home runs with the Dodgers (140) than he did with Red Sox (139). Remarkably, he has done it in 741 fewer at-bats.
That's over a full season of additional at-bats, and yet Betts is already passing up his numbers from Boston. As good as he was with the Red Sox, he is proving to be an even more dangerous hitter with the Dodgers.
Betts has also won more Silver Sluggers (4), more World Series championships (2), and has been selected to the same number of All-Star Games (4) with the Dodgers as he was with the Red Sox.
39 home runs with the Dodgers in 2023 remains Betts' career high. He was the NL MVP runner-up that season, with Ronald Acuña Jr. earning the honor.
Betts is just 21 homers shy of 300 for his career and he's not even halfway done with his contract. By the time the 32-year-old superstar is done playing, he will almost certainly surpass all of his statistical markers from his time in Boston.
The Hall of Fame resumé is beginning to be undeniable. When Betts is inevitably enshrined in Cooperstown someday, my bet would be on him wearing a Dodgers cap.