Mookie Betts Did Everything Right and Still Somehow Got Screwed
Mookie Betts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason after agreeing to a one-year, $27 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in his final year of arbitration. He is a free agent after the season, and has made it clear time and again that he wants to earn his market value in free agency to set a precedent for his fellow players.
Through no fault of his own, this may now be impossible.
Betts did everything right over the past several years. He didn't take a team-friendly deal in Boston, and he wants a mega-deal next offseason in order to help out the generations of talented players who will follow him. Theoretically, such ambitions help every player in the league and should boost contract values. The only problem is that Betts ended up hitting free agency in the bizarre 2020 offseason and may end up getting less money than he deserves.
Breaking: Mookie Betts is getting a one-year, $27 million contract from the Red Sox, a source told @JeffPassan.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 10, 2020
That's the largest contract ever agreed to by a player in an arbitration-eligible season. pic.twitter.com/g3SleSid1J
MLB owners are reportedly looking to institute a revenue spilt for a potential 2020 season. That mirrors the system used in the NFL and NBA, and the last thing MLB players want is a situation where a salary cap is essentially in place. Needless to say, the MLBPA is inclined to reject these current overtures, though ownership seems inclined to "make it hurt" financially for the players in the coming years, even if such a thing doesn't pass.
No matter the circumstances of baseball's return, if it happens or not, revenue will be lost. Contract structures will change. Mookie Betts is simply hitting the market in a far more contentious environment than he ever could've seen coming.
MLB revenue-sharing plan is a nonstarter for the players’ association. Union head Tony Clark: “A system that restricts player pay based on revenues is a salary cap, period.” Story with @EvanDrellich: https://t.co/4TXrKHAMhF
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 11, 2020
Betts is now, unfortunately, in a situation where taking a deal in Boston may have been the best option. League revenues will drastically go down this year, and Betts may end up taking a deal next year worth less than what he could have gotten from the Red Sox.
There was no way he could have predicted this, and he is still going to earn a fortune when he signs a new contract. Yet it is still frustrating to see a player try to do the right thing for his fellow men and still end up getting screwed over. Hopefully, Betts' value doesn't drop too much when it comes time for a new contract.