In a press conference with reporters on Monday, former Red Sox star Mookie Betts didn’t back peddle when it came to his decision to turn down the reported $300 million contract extension he received from Boston.
“I don’t regret turning down that,” the 2018 AL MVP said. “Once I make a decision, I make a decision. I’m not going back and questioning myself. I don’t worry about that. The market will be what the market is. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
We know that Betts countered the Sox’s offer with a 12-year, $420 million extension which the Red Sox were going to reject once it was put on John Henry’s desk.
But fast forward a few months and now it seems like Mookie won’t be getting the $400 million contract he was looking for in free agency because the owners are going to say that they don’t have the money to pay him due to the absence of fans in the stands for the 2020 season.
And the market that Mookie is referring to is not going to be huge and that’s part of the reason why he should regret his decision to not sign an extension at least a little bit.
Because he didn’t sign an extension with Boston, he lost out on the certainty that would have come with the contract. What I mean by that is he would’ve been able to be in Boston for the entirety of his child’s early life and would’ve had $300 million in his pocket before this virus hit.
Now, I am never going to be mad at someone for trying to get the most money that they can when they finally hit free agency, and he obviously didn’t know that the corona virus was going to come and suspend the 2020 season.
But, Christian Yelich is a good example of what could have been for Mookie in Boston. Yelich signed his extension before the shut down with the Milwaukee Brewers and now he’s going to get his full $188 million despite their being a pandemic while Betts will be a free agent after the season after the owners lost hundreds of millions of dollars without fans in the stands.
I would think Betts would want to sign a short term deal with a ridiculously high average annual value, or AAV, (perhaps with the Dodgers) like Los Angeles offered Bryce Harper when he was a free agent, and then go back onto the market when the owners have gained back some of their losses from this season.
Will Mookie get his money eventually? Yes, but he could’ve had financial sustainability for the next decade and now he doesn’t know what his market will look like this offseason.
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(Photo: Norm Hall-Getty Images)