Mookie Betts settles with Red Sox for $20 million, remains an absolute bargain
Mookie Betts smiles as he high-fives teammates after scoring a run in the second inning during a Boston Red Sox game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 14, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
According to multiple reports, Mookie Betts and the Boston Red Sox have reached an arbitration settlement for $20 million ahead of the 2019 season. Jon Heyman was first to report the news on Moose Betts has 20M settlement with Red Sox
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 11, 2019" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Twitter, erroneously typing “Moose” instead of Mookie.
The $20 million total is huge for an arbitration settlement, granting Betts a nearly 50 percent raise and setting a big new precedent for similar players in the future. It’s a record number for a player in his second year of arbitration. But it’s still worth it on the Red Sox’ end, paying a reasonable price for the 2018 American League MVP.
Betts finished the regular season with a league-leading .346 average, 32 home runs, and 80 RBIs in just 136 games to win AL MVP honors for the first time in his career.
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Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.