Sources: Mookie Betts, Dodgers near long-term contract

Star outfielder Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are finalizing a massive long-term contract extension that would prevent the former American League MVP from reaching free agency this winter, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

The deal, which could be agreed as early as Wednesday, would keep Betts in Los Angeles for at least a decade, sources told ESPN.

WEEI first reported that Betts and the Dodgers were close to a long-term contract.

The Dodgers acquired the 27-year-old Betts from the Boston Red Sox in a successful trade over the winter, giving up outfielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop prospect Jeter Downs with a one-year warranty, and the hope that he will consider returning. to play. -sign before going out to the open market.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Betts was expected to receive a deal worth at least $ 300 million. Speculation that the unclear financial future of the game would cloud Betts’ windfalls will not be true.

Betts is considered one of the best players in baseball: an elite hitter with power, speed, and four gold gloves in right field. He finished his 2018 championship-winning season with an MVP award and hit last year .295 / .391 / .524.

The Dodgers, with an unmatched young core and payroll flexibility, were the ideal destination for him. The team currently has no financial commitments beyond the 2022 season, though current National League MVP Cody Bellinger will be affected by free agency after 2023 and front-line starter Walker Buehler after the 2024 season.

Between Betts, Bellinger, Buehler, shortstop Corey Seager, second baseman Gavin Lux, catcher Will Smith and pitcher Dustin May, the Dodgers are poised to maintain their position as one of the game’s elite teams. They won seven consecutive National League West Division titles and lost two World Series, to the Houston Astros in 2017 and to the Betts Red Sox in 2018.