News

Mookie Betts inks mega-deal with Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — Former Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed on a blockbuster contract extension that will keep the former AL MVP on the west coast for the next decade, the organization confirmed Wednesday evening.

The new contract will be for 12 years and is worth $365 million, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. It is the second-largest contract in Major League Baseball history.

The extension is set to take effect after the current 2020 season, where Betts is currently under contract for $27 million.

PREVIOUS: Mookie Betts trade back on as Sox get two more prospects, Graterol to LA

Betts, 27, will make, on average, roughly $30 million per season with his new extension, though details on how the contract will be paid out yearly have not been released. When including the upcoming season, the Dodgers are set to pay Betts nearly $392 million over the next 13 years.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to break the details of the contract on Wednesday afternoon, while WEEI’s Lou Merloni first broke the news of an impending deal earlier Wednesday morning.

The Red Sox traded Mookie Betts to Los Angeles along with LHP David Price back in early February in exchange for OF Alex Verdugo, INF Jeter Downs and Connor Wong.

Betts is a four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner. He was voted the American League MVP in 2018, when he hit a major league-leading .346 with 32 homers and 80 RBIs, then helped the Red Sox to the World Series title.

Related: Where does the Mookie Betts deal rank in recent trades of Boston stars?

He hit .295 in 2019 with 29 homers and 80 RBIs, according to baseballreference.com, an online stat aggregator.

NOTE: A previous version of this story credited ESPN’s Jeff Passan with breaking the news of the Betts-Dodgers contract extension. This copy has been updated to clarify that Passan broke the details of the extension, while WEEI’s Lou Merloni was first to break the story of the impending deal.