Mookie Betts hasn’t played a single game for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that didn’t stop the franchise from lavishing him with a 12-year, $365 million contract extension Wednesday.
It is the richest contract in franchise history and the largest amount of money ever given to a player. Last year, Mike Trout signed a 10-year $360 million extension with the Angels.
“That is really great for Mookie,” TheSportsVirus podcast host Joe Castellano said on After Hours with Amy Lawrence. “That’s quite a commitment for the Dodgers, especially when you consider the depth they have in the organization. I was a little surprised to see that they would make that kind of commitment to one player.”
Betts, 27, spent the first six seasons of his career in Boston. A four-time All-Star, he was AL MVP in 2018, when he hit .346 with 30 home runs, 80 RBIs, 30 steals and 129 runs in 136 games.
Castellano, who is dedicated to Bay Area sports, including the Giants, says this deal is bad news for San Francisco.
“It’s definitely trouble for the Giants,” he said. “From the Giants’ perspective, to see a guy like Mookie Betts, to know that he’s going to be in a Dodgers uniform for a long time, I don’t know that he’ll still be productive at the end of that contract – and maybe it’s not a great contract. But just to know that he’s going to be a Dodger here for years to come is not good news in San Francisco.”