I Think Mookie Betts Is Ready For The Season To Start
It’s crazy to think that a few weeks ago, we were talking about a scenario where Mookie Betts might have to start the year at Pawtucket because of a crowded outfield situation. Yeah, that’s not happening.
On Sunday, Betts went 2-for-2 with a double — his sixth of the spring in eleven games — and an inside-the-park home run. After the two-hit performance, Betts is now hitting .471 this spring. Not too shabby, considering this time last year, the highest level he had played at professionally was High-A ball for Salem.
When Bill James’ projections came out this past winter, he had projected Betts to hit .321/.405/.493 with 41 doubles, 15 home runs and 40 stolen bases. People laughed at that because they thought it was far too generous, but I’m laughing at it because it might not be generous enough.
Last week, it was reported that the Red Sox were considering a contract extension for Betts, which may seem strange to some as the 22-year-old isn’t arbitration eligible until 2018 and won’t become a free agent until 2021, but an early extension could save the Red Sox a ton of money during his arbitration years if Betts becomes the player he is projected to be. Historically, the Red Sox have had a philosophy of if they are going to extend a player before they are arbitration eligible, they won’t do so unless they can buy out their arbitration years and at least one year of free agency. They have done this in the past with players like Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz.
So what might a Betts extension look like? Dave Cameron of FanGraphs draws a comparison to the seven-year, $49.57 million deal with an eighth-year option that Christian Yelich just signed with the Marlins. Betts would be wise to play out this year before signing an extension, due to the fact that he has less than one year of service time. If he puts together a season that is anywhere close to what is being projected, he’ll be able to command guaranteed money similar to what Yelich netted from Miami.
Whether he signs an extension or not, it’s clear that Boston wants Betts in a Red Sox uniform for the long haul, and have no interest in flipping the Nashville native for the ace that they so desperately need.