The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Betts agrees to $365M, 12-year deal with Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Even before Mookie Betts played his first game in Dodger Blue, the superstar outfielder decided his future is in Los Angeles.
Betts and the Dodgers have struck baseball’s first big-money deal since the coronavirus pandemic decimated the sport’s economics, with Betts agreeing Wednesday to a $365 million, 12-year contract through 2032.
The massive deal removes the top offensive player from next offseason’s free-agent class and puts the longtime Boston Red Sox slugger in the middle of LA’s lineup for what he thinks will be the rest of his career. The Dodgers only acquired Betts in a trade Feb. 10, but he eagerly bypassed the uncertainties of free agency for a secure future with an organization that already feels like home.
“I just love being here,” Betts said in a video conference call from Dodger Stadium, where he will make his Dodgers debut Thursday
against San Francisco. “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.”
Betts’ new deal is baseball’s second-largest in total dollars behind the $426.5 million, 12-year contract for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout covering 2019-30. Trout and Betts are arguably the top two outfielders in the game, and now they’ve both got deals that should keep them playing 32 miles apart for at least the next decade.
Betts, who turns 28 in October, was acquired along with pitcher David Price for three promising Dodgers prospects in a blockbuster trade that signaled Los Angeles’ determination to win the World Series after claiming the NL pennants in 2017 and 2018.
While Price opted out of the current season because of family health concerns, Betts will be at the heart of the Dodgers’ lineup as they pursue their first championship in 32 years.