Mookie Betts Trade Risks

Mookie Betts is an absolutely transcendent baseball player. He was the first-ever player to win the AL MVP, Silver Slugger, batting title, a Gold Glove and a World Series in the same season. In terms of value to a team, his 39.7 WAR (wins above replacement) rating over the past five years has been only second to three-time MVP Mike Trout, and his bat talent is only supplanted by his superior defensive talent, as he's won four consecutive Gold Glove awards.

So it may be a bit surprising to hear that there are significant reasons why potential suitor teams are shying away from acquiring him. Despite his record-breaking resume, here are the risks involved with trading for Betts.

Betts Has a Huge Contract

Betts is set to make $27-30 million in the final year before he is able to enter free agency, a number he likely wants to see increase once he reaches that point. With the league's ever-increasing shift to prioritizing draft prospects and young assets, the list of potential destinations for Betts dwindles to teams who believe they can win immediately with him on the roster, and are willing to take on a contract of his stature to do so.

Betts Could Be a Rental

Few clubs want a loan in the form of a player, and Betts' impending free agency status may scare off teams who don't feel they'll be able to retain him in the long-term. A million things can go wrong over the course of the season, and if Betts ends up leaving a city after just one year, it will be seen as a waste for any ball-club, especially if they aren't able to win.

Betts numbers did see a fall off from their usual league-leading rankings last year, but he still batted .295 and belted 29 homers while nursing injuries through part of the season. He's still in the prime of his career at 27, and will likely have multiple teams dangling bait in the Red Sox' direction in efforts to snatch him up.