The Los Angeles Dodgers opened up their wallet and took out a gigantic amount of cash on Wednesday. Just how much? Try $365 million worth.
Los Angeles is making a remarkable commitment to outfielder Mookie Betts of Nashville, Tennessee that will allow to him make an average of $30.4 million per season through 2032. The contract also includes a signing bonus of $65 million according to Nick Goss of Yahoo! Sports.
Betts now becomes the ninth richest player in Major League Baseball. Yes, you read the last sentence right. There are actually eight players in the Major Leagues right now who are earning a higher average of salary per year than Betts. They are New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million), Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout ($35.5 million), Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg ($35 million), Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon ($35 million), Astros starting pitchers Zack Greinke ($34.4 million) and Justin Verlander ($31.3 million) and Dodgers starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and David Price ($31 million each). However, Price who came to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox with Betts in an offseason trade, will not be with Los Angeles this year because he is sitting out due to coronavirus reasons.
Betts is expected to lead off in the lineup for Los Angeles in 2020. Last season in Boston, Betts batted .295 with 29 home runs and 80 runs batted in. He also led Major League Baseball with 135 runs scored.
In other Dodgers news, Los Angeles has signed lefthanded relief pitcher Jake McGee of San Jose, California to a one-year contract. Last season with the Colorado Rockies, McGee pitched 45 games and had a record of zero wins and two losses. In 41 1/3 innings pitched, McGee had 35 strikeouts, an earned run average of 4.35, WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.40, and gave up 47 hits, 20 earned runs and 11 walks.
The Dodgers become McGee’s third Major League Baseball team. Prior to his four seasons in Colorado, McGee played six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. McGee now joins a Dodgers bullpen that includes closer Kenley Jansen, and fellow relievers Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, Pedro Baez, Adam Kolarek, Brusdar Graterol, Dustin May, Dylan Floro, and Caleb Ferguson.
