Given the contracts we’ve seen handed out to some of MLB’s top stars, hindsight tells us it’s a good thing that reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts wasn’t ready to accept an initial offer from the Boston Red Sox.
This story comes to us via the Grapefruit League in Florida and is rather interesting.
While it’s already known that Betts did indeed turn down a previous offer from Boston, the details and timing of said offer was not yet known.
Betts, 26, now confirms that Boston offered him an eight-year, $200 million extension prior to last season.
“Yeah, I was made an offer last year,” Betts said, via MLB.com. “That was just a disagreement, which is perfectly fine.”
Arguably in the same category as say Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, Betts has more than proven his worth among the game’s best players. He posted a .346 average with 32 homers, 80 RBI, a league-leading 129 runs scored and a .640 slugging percentage en route to earning the AL MVP last season.
In comparison to the contracts we’ve seen handed down over the past month, Boston would’ve gotten off cheap if Betts had accepted the initial offer.
Trout will be earning a combined $360 million on his 10-year extension with the Angels. That adds to the $68-plus million he’s set to earn over the next two seasons.
Meanwhile, Harper had previously set the high-water mark with a 13-year, $330 million contract in Philadelphia.
It’s a darned if you do, darned if you don’t thing. Even before he’s played in a Major League game, Chicago White Sox prospect Eloy Jimenez inked a six-year, $44 million extension with the team.
How would this have played out through his arbitration years if he hadn’t signed the deal on Wednesday?
Betts betted (pun intended) on himself, and he’s now going to earn well north of $200 million on his next deal. That’s goes without saying.