The COVID-19 pandemic could hit one of baseball’s best batters right in the wallet.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who has one year left on his contract, is set to become a free agent following the 2020 MLB season.
The former MVP, who was traded to the Dodgers by the Boston Red Sox this offseason, may lose $100-150 million in free agency due to the pandemic, according to veteran baseball scribe Peter Gammons.
“Free agency is going to be a whisper for the next three years. There are few people that I like better in baseball than Mookie Betts. I thought he was going to make between $350 to $400 million,” Gammons told 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh show. “He’d be lucky to get up to $250 [million] in free agency this coming winter, if they play. It’s just the reality of the economics. It’s true in almost every business.”
Before trading him, the Red Sox offered Betts $300 million over 10 years, a deal he turned down because he was seeking $420 million over 12 years.
Even if there are no games this season, Betts will still become a free agent as, per an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, any player currently on a 40-man roster, the 60-day injured list or an outright assignment to the minor leagues with a major league contract will receive service time in 2020 equaling what the player accrued in 2019.
Betts isn’t the only free-agent-to-be who will potentially be missing out on millions as notable players like DJ LeMahieu, Trevor Bauer and George Springer could also be taking a significant hit in the wallet once they hit the market.
This issue will likely crop up during free agency in other professional sports as well as every league is set to lose revenue due to a lack of games and/or fans no longer being in attendance during play.
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