Red Sox Can't Be Allowed to Skate by Questions About Alex Verdugo's Complicated Past Like Dodgers Were

The Boston Red Sox have acquired a childhood fan of the club in outfielder Alex Verdugo in the blockbuster trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles. But given another chance at things, they should NOT go to the lengths the Dodgers did to protect him from questions about his own indiscretions.

This vantage point, of course, references a 2015 incident where Verdugo was tangled up in a sexual assault case alongside then-Dodgers teammate James Baldwin.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was asked for his thoughts on Verdugo's nebulous past after the trade was finalized this weekend, and his response was a tad concerning.

Sure, Bloom did state that Boston takes sexual assault cases "seriously" (duh), and that the club wouldn't have pursued Verdugo in the deal if they found anything disturbing, BUT the 36-year-old executive is traveling down the same shady avenue that the Dodgers did for years.

It's worth noting that Verdugo was never named as an assailant in the alleged crime. He was never even charged or investigated. Reports claim he was one of very few people at the party where the assault transpired.

That looks anything but encouraging, and doesn't give the 23-year-old prospect a free pass.

Bloom giving the media exactly what they want to hear so that this sensitive topic is swept under the rug for another extended period of time while baseball takes center stage is reprehensible.

We're not saying that Bloom intended to come off this way, but he and the Red Sox simply cannot be permitted to dance around these questions like the Dodgers were able to.

At some point, accountability must be front and center.