Mookie Betts is going to be a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for way more than just 60 games as he signed a 12-year extension with the team on Wednesday that is worth a reported $365 million, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. That, along with the $27 million he will make this season, means he’s just under the $400 million mark with LA.
That also means that Boston Red Sox fans, who for some reason held out hope that he’d return with a free agent deal after this season, are sad because Mookie isn’t coming back to Boston any time soon.
The Dodgers have a ridiculously talented team this season and now for likely many years to come with the second best player in MLB locked in for the next 13 years.
Here are the details on the record-breaking extension:
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
The MLB world had reactions:
I just got my 4-yr-old up from her nap with the news that Mookie will still be a Dodger when she gets her drivers license.
— Joe Davis (@Joe_Davis) July 22, 2020
The Mookie Betts extension — the player, the place, the money, the term — is manifestly great for @MLB, on and off the field. @MLBNetwork ⚾️
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 22, 2020
Mookie is the 2nd best player in baseball. Legit superstar built for Hollywood. Great day to be a Dodgers fan. If you root for the Red Sox…
We lock in our 2020 MLB playoff picks & award winners.
Plus, Zimmer, Russ, Giannis, 3M @DraftKings lineup.@CBSSportsNet #T2S 6 ET
— Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) July 22, 2020
I feel bad for small-market teams like the Boston Red Sox who can’t afford to keep star players like Mookie.
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) July 22, 2020
The Dodgers will have control of Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, and Walker Buehler for, at minimum, the next five seasons (through 2024).
That’s a scary thought. pic.twitter.com/Z14Xa41gQa
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) July 22, 2020
I guess the Red Sox didn’t do it all for the Mookie
— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) July 22, 2020
In normal circumstances, Mookie Betts would be serenaded by 55,000 fans giving him a standing ovation when he walked onto the field Thursday night at #Dodger Stadium. Let’s see the Dodgers scoreboard operator replicate that by pumping in ear-piercing fake crowd noise.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 22, 2020