Betts confirms he rejected $200M extension

In the wake of Mike Trout¡¯s 10-year extension worth a reported $360 million revealed Tuesday, which brings his current contract to an astounding 12 years and $426.5 million, eyes naturally turned toward the next-biggest potential free agent, Mookie Betts, and whether he would also be interested in avoiding the open market.

But given Betts¡¯ comments Wednesday in Florida, the Red Sox superstar appears committed to testing the free-agent waters.

When asked if he expects to enter the 2019 season without signing a long-term extension, Betts said, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I expect. I don¡¯t expect anything to happen until I¡¯m a free agent.

¡°It¡¯s just one of those things where you¡¯ve just got to go out and play,¡± continued Betts, who is eligible for free agency following the 2020 season -- the same year that Trout was set to hit the market. Betts is more than a year younger than Trout. ¡°You can¡¯t worry about the economics of the game right now. [The Red Sox] have to take care of what they have to take care of, and I have to take care of what I have to take care of. The common thing is to win a World Series, and I think it¡¯s something we definitely both want to do.¡±

Betts confirmed a report by MLB Network insider Joel Sherman for the New York Post that he rejected Boston¡¯s eight-year, $200 million extension offer following the 2017 season.

¡°Yeah, I was made an offer last year,¡± he said. ¡°That was just a disagreement, which is perfectly fine.¡±

Betts, 26, is seen by many as perhaps the game¡¯s second-best player now behind Trout, and he beat out the Angels superstar for the 2018 American League MVP Award as he led the Majors with a .346 average, .640 slugging percentage, 129 runs scored and 10.9 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference. Those numbers helped Boston win its fourth World Series championship in 15 years.

Trout¡¯s extension came on the same day that Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman reportedly agreed to a five-year, $100 million extension, and it follows a series of other high-profile extensions signed by players like Nolan Arenado of the Rockies and Aaron Hicks of the Yankees. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado also raised the ceiling in the free-agent market with historic contracts signed with the Phillies and Padres, respectively, this offseason.

¡°Those guys have gotten great deals,¡± Betts said. ¡°They can get what they got and some can get more. It¡¯s been pretty good. Definitely a step in the right direction for the game. But there are still a lot of guys out there who haven¡¯t signed anything. Some have, some haven¡¯t. I think once we got some of those guys that are on the market off [of it], I think things will be a lot better.¡±

Betts, for the record, did not dismiss the notion that he and Boston could come to an agreement before the 2020-21 offseason. He repeatedly focused on the Red Sox¡¯s current World Series title defense and his remaining two years in Boston in his comments Wednesday.

¡°Why not?¡± Betts said of potentially bridging the gap with his club. ¡°You should definitely keep your ears open and see what is said. But that doesn¡¯t mean you necessarily have to agree on or take whatever is given. Like I said, I love it here. I think this is great place to be to spend your career here. But that doesn¡¯t mean you should sell yourself short.

¡°I¡¯m under no pressure to do anything,¡± he continued. ¡°It¡¯s OK for two sides to disagree. It¡¯s perfectly fine. It¡¯s normal. Like I said, I¡¯ve got two more years. I¡¯m going to make the best of them. I¡¯ve got to work on year one right here, go out and do my best to help the team win. Also next year, it¡¯s one of those things where it¡¯s all right to disagree.¡±

Betts notably avoided arbitration with the Red Sox in January by signing a one-year, $20 million deal that set a record for a player in his second season of arbitration eligibility.