The Boston Red Sox are willing to trade outfielder Mookie Betts, and a report about his contractual demands may summarize why.
According to WEEI’s Lou Merloni, the Red Sox offered Betts a 10-year, $300 million deal during the 2019 offseason. Betts, however, countered by asking for 12 years and $420 million.
.@LouMerloni says the #Redsox offered Mookie Betts a 10 years, $300M deal in the 2019 offseason. Mookie countered with 12 years, $420M
Lou says Mookie and the Sox have been off by $100M or more in the past 3 negotiations not including this past offseason pic.twitter.com/zfMt2n1Ske
— OMF (@OMFonWEEI) January 28, 2020
That’s just shy of Mike Trout’s 12-year, $430 million deal with the Angels, which Betts clearly views as a benchmark if the report is accurate. With the Red Sox making no secret of their desire to cut down on payroll, it’s also easy to understand why they’d balk at that price.
Betts trade talks appear to be growing more serious, with two teams involved at the moment. If a trade is made, the team acquiring Betts will not only have to give up top prospects, but it sounds like they might have to pay him a fortune if they want to keep him around beyond 2020.
