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The rumored “massive” deal between the Dodgers and superstar outfielder Mookie Betts is now reportedly agreed to, and the adjective was apt. Betts will stay in Los Angeles with a 12-year contract extension, announced by the team on Wednesday.
The contract is worth $365 million, per Jeff Passan at ESPN and Joel Sherman at the New York Post.
Betts is making $10 million this season, the pro-rated share of his $27 million salary spread over the shortened 60-game season. He’s now signed through the 2032 season.
It’s the largest contract in franchise history, both in length (surpassing the eight-year deals for Matt Kemp in 2012 and Kenta Maeda in 2016) and in total value (surpassing the $215 million contract Clayton Kershaw signed in 2014).
Betts’ contract is second in baseball history in total value to Mike Trout, whose 12-year, $426.5 million extension with the Angels in March 2019 replaced the final two years and $66.5 million he had remaining on his previous deal. Trout’s deal added $360 million in guaranteed money, $5 million less than Betts.
In average annual value, Betts’ deal is the 14th in MLB history of at least $30 million per year, per Cot’s Contracts, a list that includes his current Dodgers teammates Clayton Kershaw and David Price.
The Dodgers were in a position to make such a commitment because they have very few long-term deals on the books. Betts is only the fourth guaranteed contract on the roster for 2022, along with Price ($32 million, $16 million of which is paid by Boston), Max Muncy ($11.5 million), and A.J. Pollock ($10 million). After that, the only other guaranteed money is Pollock, who has a $10 million player option for 2023, with a $5 million buyout.
There will also be several arbitration-eligible players by then, most notably Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler, but as far as long-term money committed, the Dodgers had and have plenty of room to add.