Mookie Betts Denies Report That Red Sox Made Him $300 Million Offer Before Trade
The Boston Red Sox fanbase will never get over the loss of homegrown superstar Mookie Betts.
As Betts returns to Fenway Park on Friday for the first time since his departure, fans and media alike are using this time to open up old wounds. Even Betts himself is feeding back into the conversation when The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham asked him about the longstanding rumor that he turned down a 10-year, $300 million contract to remain in Boston.
“That never happened,” Betts told Abraham. “I know that’s out there and people say what they’ve got to say. But no, they didn’t do that. They didn’t.”
Betts also was clear that wanted to finish his career with the Red Sox prior to being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Most people don’t believe it. But why would I lie about that? I did,” Betts said. “That was my team. Just because I didn’t take an offer didn’t mean I didn’t want to be there. There’s a business component to the game.
“We were looking for houses in Boston. We thought it was going to work out. I thought both sides were playing the slow game and it would eventually work out. We were negotiating, that’s what I thought.”
The narrative that Betts wanted out seemingly came out of nowhere and never had any substantive proof behind it. However, Betts was asked about the storied $300 million contract offer in 2020 and did not deny it at all.
"(Betts) reportedly rejected a series of extension offers from the Red Sox, including a package worth $300 million, The Athletic's Andy McCullough wrote. "The choice did not haunt him, he said."
“I don’t regret turning down that,” Betts told McCullough years ago. “Once I make a decision, I make a decision. I’m not going back and questioning myself."
It's not clear if McCullough specifically mentioned a $300 million offer but he did phrase it as if Betts was directly asked about it in his story.
Regardless, it's been almost four seasons since Betts departed for Los Angeles -- and while it makes sense to come up again amid his return to Boston -- it's also time to put this story to bed.
The former MVP should be remembered for his heroics in Boston, not ridiculed for wanting to get paid fairly.
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