Dodgers Finalize HUGE Deal With Mookie Betts to Keep Him in Los Angeles

The news that Dodgers fans have been patiently waiting for has finally been confirmed. Mookie Betts is signing a massive deal with the Dodgers to stay in Los Angeles long-term. All of our collective hopes and dreams are coming true. 

Rumors of the extension first surfaced on Wednesday morning when a Boston radio host reported that a deal was in the works. ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed that report, and Dodgers fans started to go crazy on social media. 

Outfielder Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a 12-year, $365 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Combined with the one-year, $27 million deal he’s currently under, the total is 13 years and $392 million.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 22, 2020

The deal will keep Mookie Betts in Los Angeles for a very long time. So long, that if he gets into the Hall of Fame after his career, he will likely be wearing a Dodgers cap. The 12-year extension on top of 2020 will keep him in Los Angeles through the 2032 season, meaning he will be 40 when the deal is completed. 

The deal will also include a record-setting $65 million contract bonus. The added $365 million in new money sets an MLB contract extension record for baseball, surpassing Mike Trout’s $360 million extension.

Betts represents by far the largest contract handed out by the Dodgers during Andrew Friedman’s tenure. In fact, it will be the largest Dodgers contract of all time, and it’s not really close. Clayton Kershaw got that massive 7-year deal worth $215, while Matt Kemp got the 8-year $160 million deal. 

The Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts back in February of this year in a deal with Boston. Los Angeles sent Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong to the Red Sox in the deal. They also got David Price in return, though he opted out of playing this season.

For months, Dodgers fans wondered if they would get to see Mookie play for their team at all. The COVID-19 pandemic made it unclear whether or not we would even have baseball. And now, on the eve of Opening Day, we find out that Mookie Betts will be a Dodger for life. What a day. 

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