John Lackey is good friends with Josh Beckett, but he still understands a change of scenary may have been in Beckett's best interest.
"Honestly, I was happy for him," Lackey said of Beckett getting traded to the Dodgers, according to WEEI.com. "It had gone too far here for him. I don't think it would have ever come back."
Beckett, of course, was the subject of much scrutiny during his final days in Boston. His clubhouse behavior was consistently questioned by fans and the media, and the veteran right-hander has struggled through an ineffective season on the mound. Lackey, who has drawn criticism in the past as well, thinks Beckett didn't exactly get a fair shake.
"It's baffling to me people write things that don't even know the man," Lackey reportedly said. "Guys write stuff who don't know Josh. He's a good guy. It's too bad that it came to that. They write about the Beckett Bowl [charity event], that we were partying and stuff, but they raised $300,000 for Children's Hospital that night. Throw something in there positive."
Lackey also noted that younger pitchers would sometimes turn to Beckett for advice, and that those types of things that made him a good teammate often flew under the radar.
"There were definitely times young guys went to talk to him about things," Lackey reportedly said. "People didn't see that sort of stuff. He was a good influence."
Beckett will now have a chance to be a good influence on the Dodgers, who enter Monday's action two games back of the Giants in the NL West.
