Mookie Betts Contract: Breaking down the Dodgers outfielder's 12-year deal 

Mookie Betts has been one of the elite hitters in baseball since making his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2014.

The outfielder out of Nashville, Tennessee, has been the essence of a five-tool player every season, hitting for contact and power with speed on the base path. He has also been an elite defender.

Now entering his tenth season in the Majors, Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers will look to win their second World Series in four seasons. A perennial contender, the Dodgers rank among the top half of teams in terms of payroll, with Betts commanding a sizable portion of their team total.

"Largest Contracts in MLB History [By Total Value]: 1. Mike Trout: $426.5 Million, 2. Mookie Betts: $365.0 Million, 3. Aaron Judge: $360.0 Million, 4. Francisco Lindor: $341.0 Million, 5. Fernando Tatis Jr. $340.0 Million" - CBS Sports HQ

The former MVP signed a 12-year, $365 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, the same year they won the World Series. The contract, which remains the second richest in the MLB behind Mike Trout with the Los Angeles Angels, included an MLB-record $65 million signing bonus.

"No, I’m not upset the Red Sox refused to outbid the Dodgers/Padres to retain Mookie Betts + Xander Bogaerts. I’m upset that they were so undervalued that they even had the chance to test FA as opposed to being presented with respectable contract offers that reflect their talent." - Gio Rivera

Mookie's contract extension with the Dodgers will see him make an average annual salary of $30,416,667 over the course of the deal. In 2023, Betts is set to make $20,000,000 in base salary, with an additional $5,000,000 coming from his signing bonus.

Only Freddie Freeman is set to make more than him in 2023, with a base salary of $27,000,000.

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A look at the trade that landed Mookie Betts in Los Angeles from Boston

On February 10, 2020, Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom finalized a deal that sent Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Boston received Alex Verdugo and prospects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong in exchange.

From the Dodgers' side of the trade, they not only managed to secure the 2018 MVP with a long-term extension but also won the World Series that very season. However, Red Sox fans remain less than enthused about the trade nearly three years after the deal became official.

"The Red Sox will either give Rafael Devers all the money or they will lose the entire fanbase. Losing Mookie Betts was awful. Losing Xander Bogaerts is unconscionable. Last chance." - @gfstarr1

Since Bloom took the reigns of the team's decisions, the franchise has lost homegrown superstars such as Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. Rafael Devers is set to become a free agent following the 2023 season, though the Red Sox and Devers are reportedly in contract talks.