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Mookie Betts contract details

The ins and outs of the Dodgers outfielder’s 12-year, $365 million extension

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Los Angeles Dodgers Summer Workouts Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Now that the Mookie Betts contract with the Dodgers is official, let’s delve into the specifics of the franchise-record 12-year, $365 million deal.

Betts will get a $65 million signing bonus, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. It’s split up in 15 staggered annual payments every Nov. 1 beginning in 2021, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.

Having so much of the contract (17.8 percent) as a bonus is especially relevant because that’s taxable in your home state, as opposed to salaries, which depend on where the games are played. Betts lives in Nashville, and Tennessee has no state income tax.

The contract also includes $115 million in deferrals, per Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic, who notes, “if Betts is traded, deferrals in subsequent years will be converted into present-day dollars, creating greater financial value.”

There aren’t any opt-outs nor a no-trade clause.

The players union values the total contract at roughly $306.7 million after factoring in all of the deferrals, per Rosenthal. For competitive balance tax purposes, that would mean a number around $25.6 million each year of the deal rather than the $30.4 million average annual value.

Those deferrals are paid after the contract is up, every July 1 starting in 2033, and continue through 2044, per the AP.

Here is a breakdown of what Betts will receive annually for the next 24 years.

Mookie Betts contract

Year Salary Salary paid Amount deferred Deferred payments Signing bonus Total paid
Year Salary Salary paid Amount deferred Deferred payments Signing bonus Total paid
2021 $17,500,000 $9,500,000 $8,000,000 $5,000,000 $14,500,000
2022 $17,500,000 $9,500,000 $8,000,000 $5,000,000 $14,500,000
2023 $20,000,000 $12,000,000 $8,000,000 $5,000,000 $17,000,000
2024 $25,000,000 $17,000,000 $8,000,000 $5,000,000 $22,000,000
2025 $25,000,000 $17,000,000 $8,000,000 $5,000,000 $22,000,000
2026 $25,000,000 $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $5,000,000 $20,000,000
2027 $25,000,000 $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $5,000,000 $20,000,000
2028 $30,000,000 $19,000,000 $11,000,000 $5,000,000 $24,000,000
2029 $30,000,000 $19,000,000 $11,000,000 $5,000,000 $24,000,000
2030 $30,000,000 $19,000,000 $11,000,000 $5,000,000 $24,000,000
2031 $27,500,000 $16,500,000 $11,000,000 $5,000,000 $21,500,000
2032 $27,500,000 $16,500,000 $11,000,000 $5,000,000 $21,500,000
2033 $8,000,000 $2,000,000 $10,000,000
2034 $8,000,000 $2,000,000 $10,000,000
2035 $8,000,000 $1,000,000 $9,000,000
2036 $8,000,000 $8,000,000
2037 $8,000,000 $8,000,000
2038 $10,000,000 $10,000,000
2039 $10,000,000 $10,000,000
2040 $11,000,000 $11,000,000
2041 $11,000,000 $11,000,000
2042 $11,000,000 $11,000,000
2043 $11,000,000 $11,000,000
2044 $11,000,000 $11,000,000
Totals $300,000,000 $185,000,000 $115,000,000 $115,000,000 $65,000,000 $365,000,000

In addition, Betts will make an annual $100,000 charitable contribution (presumably to the Dodgers Foundation) all 12 seasons of the contract, per Blum at the AP, and will get a hotel suite on road trips.