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Mookie Betts' deal with Dodgers will pay him until he's 52 years old
Mookie Betts signing a long-term extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers was inevitable, but the terms of his new deal are pretty incredible.
The former American League MVP won't receive all of the money from his 12-year, $365 million deal until he's 52-years-old in 2044, according to contract details obtained by The Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
Betts has a $65 million signing bonus that is guaranteed against work stoppages and shortened seasons -- likely made part of the deal due to the coronavirus pandemic -- and the Dodgers don't have to start paying it for more than a year.
The right fielder's deal also includes $115 million in deferred payments, though if he's traded those would be eliminated and the money would be due in each season the contract covers.
Betts will receive his signing bonus in annual installments on Nov. 1 from 2021-35 -- $5 million each of the first 12 years, $2 million apiece in 2033 and 2034 and a final payment of $1 million. The 27-year-old isn't a California resident, so the money is not subject to the state's 12.3% income tax.
He'll receive salaries of $17.5 million each in 2021 and 2022, $20 million in 2023, $25 million in each of the next four seasons, $30 million annually from 2028-30 and $27.5 million in each of the last two seasons.
His deal is the second largest in baseball history behind the $426.5 million deal Mike Trout signed through the 2030 season.
The Boston Red Sox sent Betts and pitcher David Price to the Dodgers in February in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Jeters Downs and Connor Wong.
More must-reads:
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Ranking the top three 2025 AL Cy Young Award candidates
Last season, Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award resoundingly, nabbing a rare pitching triple crown. This year, the contest is a little tighter. Now, into the home stretch of the 2025 MLB season, there are three AL Cy Young contenders that stand above the rest, each pitching for a team well within the postseason picture. As things stand today, it seems the Cy Young race could come down to a matter of splitting hairs, but with almost two months of baseball left to play, there is still time for a shakeup. Will the reigning Cy Young prevail or give way to one of the up-and-coming rising stars? This is how the AL Cy Young race is currently shaping up in the top three. LHP Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox In his first year with the Boston Red Sox, Crochet has gone from high-potential strikeout artist to Cy Young front-runner. It was just last season when the rising southpaw posted a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts in 146 innings, making 32 starts with the White Sox, though he had never started a major-league game before. Now, after a quick change of Sox, Crochet has become one of the most dominant starters in baseball. He currently owns a 2.24 ERA with 183 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .218 and 13 wins in 148.2 innings. Entering Saturday, his ERA leads the AL (second in MLB) while his innings count and wins total (tie) lead the MLB. LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Skubal, last year’s AL Cy Young and triple crown winner, lags Crochet this time around, but not by much. The Tigers’ ace owns a 2.35 ERA with 187 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .198 and 11 wins in 145.1 innings. His strikeout total, walks per nine rate (1.30) and K/BB rate (8.90) lead the MLB, while his strikeouts per nine rate (11.58) leads the AL. His 3 losses on the season are tied with Christopher Sanchez for the least among all qualified starters. It’s fair to note that the Cy Young award doesn’t always go to the pitcher with the lowest ERA giving Skubal an outside shot if the voting started today, but the totals in the wins column and innings pitched still favor Crochet. Nonetheless, there is plenty of time left to pull ahead. RHP Hunter Brown, Houston Astros Rounding out the top three is Brown, the Houston Astros’ breakout ace. Brown settled into the majors last season, throwing to a 3.49 ERA after struggling through his rookie year. Now, Brown is one of the game’s top arms, maintaining an ERA of 2.51 with 160 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .195 and nine wins in 136.1 innings, earning his first All-Star nod. Off the bat, the only thing that makes him stand out from the other two aces is his .195 opponent batting average, which may not be the lowest in the game, but is still lower than both Crochet’s and Skubal’s. Brown is more of a longshot for the AL Cy Young Award; however, he isn’t out of the race yet. It seems implausible, but a stellar performance this month and next could push him to the top.
Celtics Seeking Another Blockbuster Trade on $100 Million Scorer
The Celtics need not be in a hurry to get further under the NBA's luxury tax threshold, now that they've successfully navigated the dreaded second apron, unloading stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in trades and letting the likes of Luke Kornet and, likely soon, Al Horford walk in free agency. Still, Boston is looking to create as much flexibility as possible this season, with star forward Jayson Tatum out for the year with an Achilles tendon tear and the roster generally depleted all around, as the Celtics begin paying the cost for the contracts team honcho Brad Stevens handed out as they were winning the 2024 NBA championship. That means the chief prize the Celtics got back in making the trade that sent Holiday to the Blazers--Anfernee Simons, the 26-year-old scorer who is in the final year of a four-year, $100 million contract--is still available on the trade market, according to league insider Jake Fischer. Celtics Salary Dumps Continue The Celtics did make one salary-dump trade this week, sending Georges Niang to Utah. Niang was owed $8.2 million for the 2025-26 season, and is now the Jazz's problem. He was sent to Boston in the Porzingis trade. Writes Fischer on The Stein Line substack on Sunday: "The Celtics discussed trading Niang with various teams around the league, sources say, in their continued salary-shaving campaign following the luxury-tax-slashing trades that shipped out Jrue Holiday and Porzingis. "The expectation persists, furthermore, that Boston will continue to invite trade discussion involving Anfernee Simons from now through next season's trade deadline on Feb. 5 at 3 PM ET." Simons averaged 19.3 points per game last season in Portland, and was down somewhat on his 3-point shooting, at 36.3%. Still, he should bounce back, as he is a 38.1% career 3-point shooter, and if he returns to form, his market value will only get that much stronger ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Red Wings Announce Major Change for Their 100th Season and Fans Are Fired Up
The Red Wings have announced that they are bringing back their iconic 'Hockeytown' logo to center ice at Little Caesars Arena for their 100th year in the NHL. A somewhat familiar look is coming back to center ice at Little Caesars Arena, which has been the home of the Detroit Red Wings since 2017. A special fan polling has resulted in the announcement that the iconic former 'Hockeytown' logo from Joe Louis Arena, their former home, is coming back as part of a new special logo for the team's 100th year. Asia Gholston, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing for Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, released the following statement. The center ice fan vote, launched in partnership with Meijer, was a great way to get fans involved in Red Wings Centennial right from the start. Through an incredible response to this vote, fans have made it clear they're fired up for what's to come in celebrating 100 years of Hockeytown, which is only possible due to their unwavering support for the Winged Wheel. The Red Wings featured the 'Hockeytown' logo at Joe Louis Arena in 1996, which remained until the building's closure in 2017. The Red Wings then used the same logo in their 1st year at Little Caesars Arena, but since then have just utilized a large team logo. The Red Wings celebrate their 100th year in the NHL The Red Wings were founded in 1926, but are in the midst of the longest drought of postseason hockey in their history. Considering that they've now been around for 100 years, that postseason absence is a surprising statistic. Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has started to feel some heat for having not been able to get the team to the postseason in each of his first 6 years on the job.
What They’re Saying About Gyokeres After Arsenal’s 3-0 Win Over Athletic Club
The Viktor Gyökeres Gooners watched against Athletic Bilbao is exactly the one they will want to see more of this season. After two worrying performances in his opening appearances for Arsenal, the Swede finally looked like the striker the club thought they were signing. Scoring his first goal in Arsenal colours and celebrating with his trademark gesture, the 27-year-old delivered a standout display. It was a performance that demonstrated his brilliant link-up play, elite movement, aerial threat, nearly scoring a brace of headers, and intelligent channel runs with wide drifting that stretched the defence. Against Athletic Club, Gyökeres’ performance truly caught the eye. Simon Collings of the Evening Standard labelled it “a promising display”. Football London praised how he powered through the Spanish side with relentless runs in behind, noting he made the most of every touch. Praise from Portugal As those two outlets described Gyökeres’ performance well, Record Portugal went a step further. The Portuguese outlet had plenty to say about Arsenal’s new No.14, claiming the Gunners finally got a taste of the Sporting CP version of Gyökeres. They wrote: “The Viktor Gyökeres we saw at the Emirates this Saturday afternoon, helping Arsenal win 3-0 against Athletic Bilbao, was a very close version of the one who left his mark on Sporting fans and Portuguese football. More adapted to the new reality, the Swedish forward portrayed a different image than he had left in the first two games and was truly one of the best on the pitch – particularly his goal in the 34th minute, his first in his new jersey. After a well-measured cross from Martin Zubimendi, the Nordic forward rose first and, with a beautiful technical move, headed the ball into the back of the net. Two minutes later, Saka scored to make it 2-0, with the former Sporting star also involved in the build-up. He was the Gunners’ offensive reference point and gradually made his mark with his trademark runs. In the second half, he came close to a brace, only denied by the post after another powerful header.” A source of hope for Gooners With the new season just days away, Gooners will head to Old Trafford for the league opener against Manchester United with renewed confidence. Gyökeres has just delivered the best striker performance by an Arsenal centre-forward in a long time, and it should be a source of hope for the supporters. The 27-year-old has hinted he can be a real threat. Now, Mikel Arteta needs to create the right conditions for him to make those decisive touches, approaching the goal with control and composure. If everything clicks for the ex-Coventry man, it could be frightening – but not for Gooners! Your thoughts welcome in the comments. Excited for the season to start! COYG! __________________________________________________________________________________________
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