The biggest baseball move of the offseason was Mookie Betts being traded from Boston to L.A., joining the Dodgers after Betts and the Red Sox were unable to come together on a long-term extension.
There was a question of whether Betts and the Dodgers would be able to work out a deal for the 27-year-old former MVP, but it appears the two sides are very close to a deal that will keep Betts in Los Angeles for the rest of his career. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Betts and the Dodgers are deep in negotiations and nearing the finish line on an extension that, including the 2020 season, would pay him $380 million over 13 years.
Star outfielder Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are deep into negotiations on a long-term contract, sources tell ESPN. While the language of the deal is not completed, the expectation is that Betts will be signing a massive deal with the Dodgers in the coming days.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 22, 2020
Including 2020, the new deal is expected to keep Mookie Betts in a Dodger uniform for 13 years at more than $380 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 22, 2020
Passan later offered some greater details ont he deal.
Mookie Betts’ deal with the Dodgers adds $365 million in new money, topping the previous extension record of $360 million signed by Mike Trout, and will run through the 2032 season, sources tell ESPN. It also includes a record $65 million signing bonus.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 22, 2020
That would mean two of the most transcendent talents in baseball would reside in the L.A., with Betts in Dodger blue and Mike Trout in Angel red for their entire primes. In terms of raw dollar amount, it is the second-biggest contract in baseball behind Trout’s monster $426 million deal with the Angels, and — given his 2020 adjusted salary of $10 million — his AAV is right in line with the likes of Manny Machado and other big deals signed in recent years.
It seems like a good deal for both parties, as the Dodgers lock up a generational talent for his prime years and ensure that they didn’t trade a top prospect for a one-year rental. Betts gets the financial security he hoped to get from Boston, which may be particularly important given labor uncertainty facing baseball in the near future.
