A horrible offseason just got a lot worse for the Boston Red Sox and their fans. Just days after they lost Xander Bogaerts in free agency, the Red Sox cut ties with his one-time heir apparent.Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox beat writer for MassLive.com, announced via Twitter that shortstop Jeter Downs has been designated for assignment. Downs was the key prospect that the Red Sox acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade.Chris Cotillo@ChrisCotilloRed Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.40157Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.Faced with the prospect of losing Betts in free agency, the Red Sox packaged Betts and starter David Price to the Dodgers on February 10, 2020. In exchange, they received Downs along with outfielder Alex Verdugo and catcher Connor Wong.Needless to say, in an off-season of mostly bad news, the DFA'ing of Downs had Red Sox fans feeling rather salty.Dayn Perry@daynperryThe Betts trade continues to look disastrous for Boston. twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/s…Chris Cotillo@ChrisCotilloRed Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.142Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.The Betts trade continues to look disastrous for Boston. twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/s…21-3-1 6-6 and 21-5@Christo86065412@mlbtraderumors Waste of a trade32@mlbtraderumors Waste of a tradeAndres Gimenez MVP SZN@MylesStrawRBWHoly disasterclass of a trade twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/s…Chris Cotillo@ChrisCotilloRed Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.481Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.Holy disasterclass of a trade twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/s…Jeter Downs was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in 2017. He was seen as a future starting shortstop for the Red Sox. He was finally called up to the majors in 2022 despite struggling mightily in Triple-A.Downs, who has a reputation as a undisciplined batter, was a strikeout machine with the Red Sox. He whiffed 21 times in 39 at-bats and recorded just six hits.Long.Live.Jesse@Ray_IsTheTruthLmaoo wasn’t the prize of the Mookie trade? Red Sox stink out loud twitter.com/mlbtraderumors…MLB Trade Rumors@mlbtraderumorsRed Sox Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-so…2421Red Sox Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-so… https://t.co/Zz8S8YC6ulLmaoo wasn’t the prize of the Mookie trade? Red Sox stink out loud twitter.com/mlbtraderumors…Gio Rivera@sportsguygioWe traded Mookie Betts for that guy. Plus an OF who won’t be an All-Star, ever, and a catcher to be DFA’d within the next 2 seasons. The Dodgers should raise a banner for this one! twitter.com/mlbtraderumors…MLB Trade Rumors@mlbtraderumorsRed Sox Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-so…24929Red Sox Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-so… https://t.co/Zz8S8YC6ulWe traded Mookie Betts for that guy. Plus an OF who won’t be an All-Star, ever, and a catcher to be DFA’d within the next 2 seasons. The Dodgers should raise a banner for this one! twitter.com/mlbtraderumors…SAL@S_A_L_75We traded Mookie Betts twitter.com/mlbtraderumors…MLB Trade Rumors@mlbtraderumorsRed Sox Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-so…23828Red Sox Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-so… https://t.co/Zz8S8YC6ulWe traded Mookie Betts twitter.com/mlbtraderumors…Downs hit just .154 and struck out in 51.2% of his at-bats during his brief stint with the Red Sox. They saw enough of him after 14 major league games.With a need to clear room on their 40-man roster to sign Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida, Boston pulled the plug on Downs.will is not here@T0M_P3TTYCould have gotten Brusdar Graterol in this trade but nope we got this bum twitter.com/chriscotillo/s…Chris Cotillo@ChrisCotilloRed Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.76684Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.Could have gotten Brusdar Graterol in this trade but nope we got this bum twitter.com/chriscotillo/s…Seth Cummings Fan Club@ckieboomfanclub@mlbtraderumors Yikes!@mlbtraderumors Yikes!Not lost on Red Sox fans is the idea that trading Betts would allow the club to re-sign Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Bogaerts is now a member of the San Diego Padres. Red Sox Nation is fearful that Devers will be next to leave.Boston Red Sox general manager Chaim Bloom might not want to show his face at the infamous Beantown tavern 'Cheers!' anytime soon.The Chaos Ball Podcast@ChaosBall1977The funniest part of the Mookie trade was part of the rationale of trading him was so that they could resign Xander and Devers when the time came LMAO twitter.com/chriscotillo/s…Chris Cotillo@ChrisCotilloRed Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.77985Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment.The funniest part of the Mookie trade was part of the rationale of trading him was so that they could resign Xander and Devers when the time came LMAO twitter.com/chriscotillo/s…Sac Card Collects@SacCollects@ChrisCotillo Not only do they let Xander walk, but in the same month they officially waive the white flag on the marquee prospect that came back in the Mookie Betts deal. L after L for this front office. Get Chaim the hell out of Boston.4@ChrisCotillo Not only do they let Xander walk, but in the same month they officially waive the white flag on the marquee prospect that came back in the Mookie Betts deal. L after L for this front office. Get Chaim the hell out of Boston.Verdugo all Boston Red Sox have to show for BettsAlex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox smilesWhile Verdugo has developed into a solid contributor for the Boston Red Sox, his star shines nowhere near as brightly as Betts'. Wong was unimpressive in his two short stints with the Red Sox in 2021 and 2022. If Yoshida becomes a star, perhaps Red Sox fans will have something to smile about after their winter of discontent.