Published 11:15 IST, July 23rd 2020
Mookie Betts contract: MLB star signs mammoth 12-year, $365m deal with LA Dodgers
The Mookie Betts contract is the richest deal in Los Angeles Dodgers history. The 27-year-old signed a 12-year extension worth $365 million.
Right fielder Mookie Betts has earned the second-richest contract in MLB history without even playing for his new side - Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts rejected a 10-year contract extension from Boston Red Sox in 2018 before being traded to the Dodgers earlier this year. While Betts is yet to play an official game for the LA side, his All-Star performances with the Red Sox meant they had zero doubts about offering him the long-term deal.
Mookie Betts has signed a mammoth 12-year contract extension, worth a reported $365 million with the Dodgers. It becomes the second richest MLB contract, behind the 12-year, $426.5 million contract Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout signed in 2018. With this new deal, Betts, 27, will be contracted to the Dodgers through 2032. Combined with his existing $27 million - reduced to $10 million due to the shortened season - Betts' total payday is whopping $392 million over 13 years.
Mookie Betts contract details
According to reports, Betts' contract extension represents the largest new money deal offered to a player in MLB - Mike Trout's $426.5 million contract included $360 million in new money. His contract includes a signing bonus of $65 million, with his average salary estimated to be around $30.42 million. The 27-year-old's salary falls behind Yankees' Gerrit Cole ($36 million), Trout ($35.5 million), Nationals' Stephen Strasburg ($35 million), Angels' Anthony Rendon ($35 million), Astros' Zack Greinke ($34.4 million), Astros' Justin Verlander $31.3 million, and teammates David Price and Clayton Kershaw ($31 million each).
The Dodgers made the official announcement through a press conference on Wednesday. "I just love being here,” Betts said during the conference. "I love everything about here. I’m here to win some rings and bring championships back to LA. That’s all I’m focused on.”
A four-time Gold Glove winner, Mookie Betts became the first player in MLB history to win the MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title and World Series in the same season. The 27-year-old has a career batting average of .301, scoring 139 home runs and 470 RBIs. Last season, the former World Series champion hit .295 with 29 homers and 80 RBIs.
With his long-term future secure, Betts could become the centrepiece of Dodgers' destructive offence, looking to win their first World Series title in 32 years. Betts will make his Dodgers debut on Thursday, July 23 against San Francisco Giants.
(Image Credits: AP)
Updated 11:15 IST, July 23rd 2020