Author Topic: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers  (Read 21877 times)

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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2020, 11:05:39 AM »

Online Roy H.

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I liked Betts and would have loved to see him remain a Red Sox for life. I do believe the Red Sox made the right call in trading him when they did. I also believe Betts had every intention on leaving Boston, and a desire to get to free agency wasn’t the reason he never signed the supposedly multiple extension offers from Boston. If I recall, the Red Sox last offer was something like 10 years and $300M. I’m sure the Dodgers offer was lower than the 12 year and $365M contract that was agreed to. It seems to me, both teams valued Mookie fairly similarly.

Time will tell, which team wins out. Is this the beginning of the Red Sox making a course correction and fixing their payroll by going under the luxury tax line? I will never accuse the team of being cheap, as they have consistently been one of the highest payroll teams in MLB. How many years will a 5’9” Betts max out his size for LA? Will he be their version of Dustin Pedroia? An undersized player who’s body gave out on him and never lived up to the contract he signed for? I loved Dustin, but his contract has basically been dead money for years and is still going.

Agree 100%. His speed-dependent game will age poorly and that contract will be an albatross in a few years.

And the Sox aren't going anywhere if they have no payroll left for pitching. Dombrowski left this team in a tough spot. Hopefully Chaim Bloom still has some of that Tampa Bay magic left in him to get creative here.

Is Mookie’s game really that speed dependent?  Maybe in six or seven years he changes from a gold glove outfielder to an average outfielder. You would still be talking about a guy who hits for power and average well providing decent defense.  The stolen bases are nice, But if he goes from a guy who steals a base every five games versus every seven games, I’m not sure that it makes a huge difference.

I guess I just have a hard time classifying a guy who lead MLB in slugging and average in 2018 as speed dependent.


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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #16 on: July 23, 2020, 11:16:46 AM »

Offline johnnygreen

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I liked Betts and would have loved to see him remain a Red Sox for life. I do believe the Red Sox made the right call in trading him when they did. I also believe Betts had every intention on leaving Boston, and a desire to get to free agency wasn’t the reason he never signed the supposedly multiple extension offers from Boston. If I recall, the Red Sox last offer was something like 10 years and $300M. I’m sure the Dodgers offer was lower than the 12 year and $365M contract that was agreed to. It seems to me, both teams valued Mookie fairly similarly.

Time will tell, which team wins out. Is this the beginning of the Red Sox making a course correction and fixing their payroll by going under the luxury tax line? I will never accuse the team of being cheap, as they have consistently been one of the highest payroll teams in MLB. How many years will a 5’9” Betts max out his size for LA? Will he be their version of Dustin Pedroia? An undersized player who’s body gave out on him and never lived up to the contract he signed for? I loved Dustin, but his contract has basically been dead money for years and is still going.

Agree 100%. His speed-dependent game will age poorly and that contract will be an albatross in a few years.

And the Sox aren't going anywhere if they have no payroll left for pitching. Dombrowski left this team in a tough spot. Hopefully Chaim Bloom still has some of that Tampa Bay magic left in him to get creative here.

The team went from Theo, Ben Charrington, Dombrowski, and now Bloom. The 3 previous GM's all won at least one World Series. However, starting towards the end of Charrington's time, the payroll has gotten out of hand. Now it's at a point where it's basically a dollar for dollar tax. Essentially, paying Betts $30M per season would have costs around $50-60M in real dollars until they managed to get under the luxury tax. And the tax only gets worse for multiple tax offenders, which the team has become. Hopefully, Bloom is more in the mold of Theo, who somehow managed to control the payroll, draft good players, and add the right veterans too.

Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #17 on: July 23, 2020, 11:22:11 AM »

Offline johnnygreen

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I liked Betts and would have loved to see him remain a Red Sox for life. I do believe the Red Sox made the right call in trading him when they did. I also believe Betts had every intention on leaving Boston, and a desire to get to free agency wasn’t the reason he never signed the supposedly multiple extension offers from Boston. If I recall, the Red Sox last offer was something like 10 years and $300M. I’m sure the Dodgers offer was lower than the 12 year and $365M contract that was agreed to. It seems to me, both teams valued Mookie fairly similarly.

Time will tell, which team wins out. Is this the beginning of the Red Sox making a course correction and fixing their payroll by going under the luxury tax line? I will never accuse the team of being cheap, as they have consistently been one of the highest payroll teams in MLB. How many years will a 5’9” Betts max out his size for LA? Will he be their version of Dustin Pedroia? An undersized player who’s body gave out on him and never lived up to the contract he signed for? I loved Dustin, but his contract has basically been dead money for years and is still going.

Agree 100%. His speed-dependent game will age poorly and that contract will be an albatross in a few years.

And the Sox aren't going anywhere if they have no payroll left for pitching. Dombrowski left this team in a tough spot. Hopefully Chaim Bloom still has some of that Tampa Bay magic left in him to get creative here.

Is Mookie’s game really that speed dependent?  Maybe in six or seven years he changes from a gold glove outfielder to an average outfielder. You would still be talking about a guy who hits for power and average well providing decent defense.  The stolen bases are nice, But if he goes from a guy who steals a base every five games versus every seven games, I’m not sure that it makes a huge difference.

I guess I just have a hard time classifying a guy who lead MLB in slugging and average in 2018 as speed dependent.

When I think of Betts as a speed dependent guy, I'm thinking bat speed and getting through the hitting zone. I don't really think of him as a stolen base guy. Once his bat speed goes, his power will be gone.

Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #18 on: July 23, 2020, 11:24:33 AM »

Online Roy H.

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I liked Betts and would have loved to see him remain a Red Sox for life. I do believe the Red Sox made the right call in trading him when they did. I also believe Betts had every intention on leaving Boston, and a desire to get to free agency wasn’t the reason he never signed the supposedly multiple extension offers from Boston. If I recall, the Red Sox last offer was something like 10 years and $300M. I’m sure the Dodgers offer was lower than the 12 year and $365M contract that was agreed to. It seems to me, both teams valued Mookie fairly similarly.

Time will tell, which team wins out. Is this the beginning of the Red Sox making a course correction and fixing their payroll by going under the luxury tax line? I will never accuse the team of being cheap, as they have consistently been one of the highest payroll teams in MLB. How many years will a 5’9” Betts max out his size for LA? Will he be their version of Dustin Pedroia? An undersized player who’s body gave out on him and never lived up to the contract he signed for? I loved Dustin, but his contract has basically been dead money for years and is still going.

Agree 100%. His speed-dependent game will age poorly and that contract will be an albatross in a few years.

And the Sox aren't going anywhere if they have no payroll left for pitching. Dombrowski left this team in a tough spot. Hopefully Chaim Bloom still has some of that Tampa Bay magic left in him to get creative here.

The team went from Theo, Ben Charrington, Dombrowski, and now Bloom. The 3 previous GM's all won at least one World Series. However, starting towards the end of Charrington's time, the payroll has gotten out of hand. Now it's at a point where it's basically a dollar for dollar tax. Essentially, paying Betts $30M per season would have costs around $50-60M in real dollars until they managed to get under the luxury tax. And the tax only gets worse for multiple tax offenders, which the team has become. Hopefully, Bloom is more in the mold of Theo, who somehow managed to control the payroll, draft good players, and add the right veterans too.

I agree that we need to get back to drafting and building our farm system. However, even despite the luxury tax, the team was turning a healthy profit. The idea that this payroll was unsustainable was a mouth pushed by the team, not some thing based in reality


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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #19 on: July 23, 2020, 11:47:55 AM »

Offline johnnygreen

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I need to make a correction. Since the Red Sox have exceeded the luxury tax 3 years in a row, the tax is 50% for every dollar spent over the luxury tax limit. The tax is 20% for first time offenders, 30% for two years in a row, and up to 50% for three years in a row. If the season goes past September 1, the Red Sox will avoid the luxury tax and will no longer be considered repeat offenders (which resets), because of this past off season's moves. If the season ends before September 1, the luxury tax repeater penalty goes into next season.

Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #20 on: July 23, 2020, 12:16:36 PM »

Offline Phantom255x

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I need to make a correction. Since the Red Sox have exceeded the luxury tax 3 years in a row, the tax is 50% for every dollar spent over the luxury tax limit. The tax is 20% for first time offenders, 30% for two years in a row, and up to 50% for three years in a row. If the season goes past September 1, the Red Sox will avoid the luxury tax and will no longer be considered repeat offenders (which resets), because of this past off season's moves. If the season ends before September 1, the luxury tax repeater penalty goes into next season.

So basically, we better hope the season at least goes past September 1. Otherwise, enjoy this garbage rotation for another year!
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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #21 on: July 23, 2020, 12:47:13 PM »

Offline boscel33

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"News media reports said the Red Sox offered Betts a 10-year deal worth close to $300 million, and Betts countered by asking for 12 years and $420 million." 

This was reported in Feb 2020.  Reports also have that Mookie really wanted to get to free agency, even after the trade to the Dodgers, Covid changed his mind.

Personally, I'm OK with the trade, the second trade that is.  I think Dave Dembroski set the club back years with his trades and contracts.  Chris Sales 5ys/145M is a joke.
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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #22 on: July 23, 2020, 01:23:52 PM »

Offline jambr380

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I would love to have Mookie on this team, but 12 years is a long time. He'll essentially be 40 years old by the end of the deal. I see him earning every penny over the next few years, but +$30M/yr isn't an inconsequential amount of money.

I see why the Dodger did it; I see why the Red Sox got close; but the Sox have enough payroll issues as it is and they weren't exactly anything close to a WS threat with Mookie on the team. I am okay with starting over, building up the farm system, and going for it all again in a couple of years.

Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #23 on: July 23, 2020, 01:35:55 PM »

Online rocknrollforyoursoul

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"News media reports said the Red Sox offered Betts a 10-year deal worth close to $300 million, and Betts countered by asking for 12 years and $420 million." 

This was reported in Feb 2020.  Reports also have that Mookie really wanted to get to free agency, even after the trade to the Dodgers, Covid changed his mind.

Personally, I'm OK with the trade, the second trade that is.  I think Dave Dembroski set the club back years with his trades and contracts.  Chris Sales 5ys/145M is a joke.

Bad financial decisions really caused a big issue—we got a crappy Panda, a mediocre Hanley, an injured Pearce, an injured Eovaldi, and a broken-down Sale instead of prime Mookie.

And even though Mookie couldn't have known about COVID, and I can see why that changed his mind, there's a part of me that's critical of him for not keeping his word to his fellow players ... even though I thought that was silly to begin with ... and yeah, I can see how I'm putting Mookie in a "danged if you do, danged if you don't" paradox, but that's my right as a fan! ;D
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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #24 on: July 23, 2020, 02:26:33 PM »

Offline Monkhouse

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Looks like he is financially set as an individual, but I don't know about his performance being a Dodger in the long-term. Maybe they bring back a couple of World Series titles but that'll be that.

What's with all these monster-like contracts across the sports world during covid season? Patrick Mahomes and now Betts lol

I think the Dodgers would be quite happy with that.

All of my Dodgers-fan friends here in La-La Land are dying for just one World Series. 1988 was a long time ago in sports years.

As a Mets fan, I can already tell you half your friends are spoiled  :P
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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #25 on: July 23, 2020, 02:37:35 PM »

Offline Monkhouse

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To be honest, I get that the Red Sox wanted to save costs and cut payroll, but wouldn't it have been smarter to just re-sign Betts, then trade him in a year or two? Or do you think his large contract would've deterred trade suitors away?
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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #26 on: July 23, 2020, 03:04:57 PM »

Offline Phantom255x

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To be honest, I get that the Red Sox wanted to save costs and cut payroll, but wouldn't it have been smarter to just re-sign Betts, then trade him in a year or two? Or do you think his large contract would've deterred trade suitors away?

Nope, because they wanted to get under the luxury tax. Trading Betts was one way they could do it (along with David Price who essentially was a salary dump). Became the "perfect storm" that led to the trade.

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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #27 on: July 23, 2020, 03:06:14 PM »

Offline Monkhouse

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To be honest, I get that the Red Sox wanted to save costs and cut payroll, but wouldn't it have been smarter to just re-sign Betts, then trade him in a year or two? Or do you think his large contract would've deterred trade suitors away?

Nope, because they wanted to get under the luxury tax. Trading Betts was one way they could do it (along with David Price who essentially was a salary dump). Became the "perfect storm" that led to the trade.

Ah, I see.

Well, judging from from the mixed reviews here, I'd wager some people liked it, while others were pretty upset.

Where do you stand on that? Do you think the Sox were better off keeping Betts, or was it time to rebuild?
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Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #28 on: July 23, 2020, 03:06:26 PM »

Offline footey

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Overpay.

Re: Mookie Betts agreed to 12 year/$365M deal with Dodgers
« Reply #29 on: July 23, 2020, 03:12:20 PM »

Offline johnnygreen

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To be honest, I get that the Red Sox wanted to save costs and cut payroll, but wouldn't it have been smarter to just re-sign Betts, then trade him in a year or two? Or do you think his large contract would've deterred trade suitors away?

The Red Sox repeatedly tried to extend Betts, but he refused because he wanted to be a free agent. The fact that Mookie backed off on his free agency desire, has nothing to do with how the Red Sox handled the situation. The pandemic potentially changed the whole dynamic, which is a major variable that happened in the U.S. after the trade.