Betts Bets on Himself

Mookie Betts says he will wait for free agency to get his big payday:

Betts said he loves Boston and playing for the Red Sox. But he also has other things in mind.

“I’ve definitely grown to love going up north in the cold and all those type of things,” Betts said. “But it definitely doesn’t mean I want to sell myself short of my value. Everybody values different things — what do you value, where you’re going to be in five years.

“I definitely don’t pay that much attention to it that far in the future. I kind of worry about what’s going on now and just being treated fairly. I think that’s just kind of the main thing. The biggest thing in my mind is just to be treated fairly.”

ESPN.com

Betts averaged eight fWAR the last three seasons. If he keeps that up for two more years, he would go into free agency with a projected 10 year WAR of 57. If the free-agent value of one WAR increases to $11 million by then, Betts is looking at a 10-year, $630 million contract.

Betts’s statement is also a good negotiating position. He’s indicating to the Red Sox that if they want to keep him long term, they are going to need to do better than 50% of the value of a free-agent WAR. It’s an extreme open.

from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2UIi5Ut