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Dodgers Make Long-Awaited Statement With Mookie Betts Deal

Betts' new deal was made possible by years of the Dodgers astutely managing their payrollGETTY IMAGES

The Dodgers and RF Mookie Betts have agreed to a 12-year, $365M contract extension that "makes him the second-highest-paid player in the game" and marks time for fans "to tip our city’s cap to the Dodgers owners, who made a promise to fans when they bought the team in 2012," according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. After "years of managing their payroll brilliantly, the Dodgers signed Betts without much of a payroll sweat." The club had only $42M "committed to their payroll for 2022, and $0 for 2023 and beyond." In extending Betts, the Dodgers have "delivered on two critical pledges: be good in the community, and be good on the field" (L.A. TIMES, 7/23).

NEWS REVERBERATES: THE ATHLETIC's Ken Rosenthal writes virtually "no one in the game anticipated the Betts deal, and the news sent shock waves throughout the industry." For Betts and his agents, Ed Cerulo and Steve Veltman, "landing the second-largest contract in major-league history -- in the summer of COVID-19, without the benefit of open bidding -- was a clear triumph." Many on the players’ side "viewed the deal as an indication the economic health of the industry is better than owners have portrayed" (THEATHLETIC.com, 7/23). In California, Bill Plunkett writes there was "some question about the salary numbers Betts could have put up this winter as a free agent in uncertain times." The CBA expires after next season, while teams are taking a "financial hit with an abbreviated season in 2020 with the potential for depressed revenues again in 2021 if fans are still unable to attend games." Betts reportedly did "get some protection," receiving a $65M signing bonus and accepting low salaries ($17.5M in '21 and '22) up front. A large portion of the salary is deferred, and there are "apparently no opt-outs or no-trade provisions" (Riverside PRESS-ENTERPRISE, 7/23). ESPN's Jeff Passan notes the deal shows other players that "just because of the pandemic, just because of the losses around baseball financially this year, it doesn't mean that players aren’t going to get paid" (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/23).

GENERATIONAL DEAL: In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes the Dodgers "hit the equivalent of an Opening-Day walk-off homer, one that could soar for generations." Their "best player is now their cornerstone player." Their "leadoff hitter with the dagger stare is now the face of the franchise." And considering Dodgers ownership's "historical reluctance to take this kind of financial plunge, it’s shocking." Plaschke: "If the Dodgers falter again ... it won’t be management’s fault." From Chair Mark Walter to President & CEO Stan Kasten to President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers front office has "finally done what they’ve always said they would do." They have "created a championship culture not only for a season, but for a generation" (L.A. TIMES, 7/23). SI.com's Tom Verducci writes for six years under Friedman, the club has "trimmed its payroll, built the minor league system and avoided huge future payments." Friedman had "never signed a player for more than" $100M, but it was "not that Friedman was averse to the big-ticket item." Rather, he was "waiting for the right one" (SI.com, 7/23). 

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: In California, Jim Alexander writes, "It is not always what the Dodgers under Guggenheim ownership have been able to do, though not for lack of trying. They’d gotten something of a reputation as tire-kickers in recent years when it came to the best free agents available" (Riverside PRESS-ENTERPRISE, 7/23). THE ATHLETIC's Andy McCullough wrote the journey to yesterday's deal was "far from smooth." There were "feints toward" Philles RF Bryce Harper and a "brief, unsatisfying union" with Padres 3B Manny Machado. The Dodgers "lost the bidding war" for Yankees P Gerrit Cole, and they "never had a chance" with Angels 3B Anthony Rendon. They "couldn’t make a deal" for Indians SS Francisco Lindor. The "whiffs in free agency and the unconsummated trades commingled with repeated October failures to stoke bitterness among fans who have not celebrated a title since 1988" (THEATHLETIC.com, 7/22).

BLOWBACK IN BOSTON: In Boston, Peter Abraham writes under the header, "Mookie Betts’s Megadeal With The Dodgers Magnifies The Red Sox’ Failure." Abraham: "It was an institutional failure on the part of the Sox that they believed their best option was to trade Betts. Now that failure is magnified after the Dodgers so quickly convinced Betts to forgo free agency." New Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom did what Owner John Henry and Chair Tom Werner "felt had to be done by trading Betts." But trading a "generational talent" is something "they will have to live with, especially if he leads the Dodgers to multiple championships" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/23). Also in Boston, Dan Shaughnessy: "The Red Sox’ inability to pony up for their best player will haunt them for years to come. Their party line will be the tired old 'he wasn’t going to stay here anyway,' but he could have been a Red Sox player for life if they had been willing to pay" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/23).

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