Dodgers sign 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to a12-Year contract

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have signed outfielder Mookie Betts to a 12-year contract through the 2032 season.

Betts, 27, is entering his seventh season in the Major Leagues after spending the parts of the last six seasons with the Boston Red Sox. In 794 games with Boston, he hit a combined .301 (965-for-3203) with 139 homers and 470 RBI, while being named an All-Star four straight years (2016-19) and winning four Gold Glove Awards (2016-19), three Silver Slugger Awards (‘16, 18-19) and the 2018 Most Valuable Player Award. He led the Red Sox in WAR in each of his first five full seasons in the Major Leagues (6.0 in 2015, 9.5 in 2016, 6.4 in 2017, 10.9 in 2018, 6.9 in 2019).

In his MVP campaign, the Tennessee native hit .346 (180-for-520) with 32 homers and 80 RBI while leading the league in WAR (10.4), runs scored (129), batting average and slugging percentage (.640). After leading the Red Sox to the World Series Championship in 2018, he became the first player in American League history to win the World Series, MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same season and the second player in Major League Baseball history to complete the feat (Mike Schmidt in 1980).

Last season, he hit .295 (176-for-597) with 29 homers and 80 RBI in 150 games while finishing first in the American League amongst right fielders in defensive runs saved (20). He finished fifth in the AL in OBP (.391) and 11th in OPS (.915) while leading AL right fielders with 10 outfield assists.

Betts was acquired by the Dodgers on February 10, along with David Price from Boston in exchange for outfielder Alex Verdugo and minor leaguers Connor Wong and Jeter Downs. He was originally drafted in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of John Everton High School (TN).

Betts will make his Dodger debut tomorrow night in the season opener against the San Francisco Giants at 7:07 p.m. PST.