The Wednesday, March 20, 2019

*

What ’s $430m extension might mean for ’s future

Peter Abraham

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The road signs are now in place, markers that the Red Sox and Mookie Betts can follow to get to what would be the richest contract in Boston sports history.

Manny Machado took 10 years and $300 million from the . was next with a record-setting 13-year, $330 million contract to play for the .

Then on Tuesday came the news that Mike Trout was closing in on an extension with the that would pay him $360 million over 10 years after his current deal expires in two seasons.

For the 26-year-old Betts, those are his peers. Harper and Machado are 26, and Trout is 27.

From a statistical perspective, Betts stands with Trout. Or at least as close as anyone can stand with Trout.

As calculated by -Reference.com, Betts has 32.9 WAR over his four full seasons in the majors. Only Trout (36.6) has more over that same period. Machado (23.2) is seventh, and Harper a surprising 23rd with 17.5.

The difference is that Trout has been outlandishly valuable for seven full seasons.

Betts essentially shrugged when asked his opinion of the Harper and Machado deals.

“We’re all different players,” he said after Harper signed. “We all have different things that are important. Good for those guys.”

Betts had good reason not to overreact. Agents Ed Cerulo and Steve Veltman can make an unimpeachable case that Betts is more valuable statistically than Harper and Machado.

As a hitter, defender, and baserunner, Betts compares most favorably to Trout.

But he’s certainly not better than Trout, because nobody playing now can credibly make that claim.

Trout’s OPS+, a statistic that accounts for league and park factors, is 175. That’s tied for fifth all time with . Only (206), (190), (182), and (179) are higher.

Trout is an all-timer. He’s already done enough to be an automatic choice for the Hall of Fame.

But Betts has plenty of other points in his favor. He has led the Sox to three consecutive division titles and a championship.

John Henry, , Sam Kennedy, and are all on record saying that Betts is the kind of player and person they want to invest in.

“We have made it crystal clear to Mookie we want him to remain with the Red Sox,” Kennedy said last month.

Betts also has a more marketable personality than Trout, who has made a career of never really saying much.

There’s also the value Betts brings as a team leader, which carries extra weight in Boston. Having Betts as the focal point of the clubhouse for a decade would be a comforting feeling.

So that’s one way to look at Tuesday’s news, that Betts and the Red Sox now have a general idea of how an extension could be structured. It would be in the neighborhood of 10 or 12 years at $32 million or $33 million a year, somewhere in there.

It’s fair to judge Betts as being more valuable to the Red Sox than Harper and Machado were to their teams, but not quite as valuable as Trout is to the Angels.

Angels owner Arte Moreno would have been his generation’s Harry Frazee if he let Trout get away. Henry will feel some of that same pressure, but not to the same degree.

The other way to look at it is that with Trout off the market, Betts will far and away be the prime free agent after the 2020 season.

The contenders for second place would be Mets ace Jacob deGrom and if he opts out of his contract with the Yankees, which seems unlikely.

As a free agent, Betts could line up the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, and Phillies and see where it leads. Betts is so talented that even second-tier teams would consider him an exception to payroll discipline.

The Red Sox would have nowhere else to go but to outbid the field. The fan base would not accept less.

But that strategy carries risk. Betts would have to stay healthy and productive over two more seasons.

His inner circle also can’t yet calculate what the atmosphere in the game will be like following the 2020 season.

The collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2021. For the moment, there is evidence that MLB and the Players Association are communicating effectively, given the rules changes they agreed to last week. But that can change quickly.

If both sides are gearing up for a work stoppage in two years, Betts could find the free-agent market unforgiving. Machado ended up in San Diego, which wasn’t his first choice. Betts likes playing in Boston and how the organization has supported him and treated his family. He also knows the Sox are set up to contend for years to come.

It’s a lot for anybody to think about. But Trout had the same decision to make, and the Angels made it for him.

Now the Red Sox are up.

Alex Cora is among the interview subjects on ’s new ESPN special

Chad Finn

Alex Rodriguez has made a remarkable transition from controversial baseball superstar to well-regarded analyst on ESPN and Fox Sports.

On Thursday, March 28, he will have his own special on ESPN in which he talks to notable baseball figures -- including Red Sox manager -- about notable changes they have made in their careers.

The special, titled, “Pivot with Alex Rodriguez,’’ will air at 11 p.m next Thursday on ESPN2, following ESPN’s Opening Night telecast of the Red Sox-Mariners game.

Rodriguez’s special, which runs a half-hour, will feature three interviews. They include a converation with Cora on his path -- or pivot -- from MLB role player to World Series-winning manager in his first year on the job.

Rodriguez also chats with new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen on his career change from agent to the front office. And he talks with on his rise from promising young Marlins to 2018 MVP with the Brewers.

In search of a rhythm, works on his swing

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s , so the results usually qualify as somewhere between misleading and irrelevant. That context makes it hard to read very much into the fact that Andrew Benintendi has a .212 average, .455 OPS, no walks, and eight .

Yet even setting aside the numbers, at a time when Benintendi is preparing for life in the leadoff spot, the 24-year-old left fielder acknowledges that he’s been in something of a spring-long search for his rhythm at the plate. A player with one of the most natural, beautiful lefthanded swings in the game has spent a lot of time this spring contemplating the components of his mechanics.

“I’m somewhat trying to buy into launch . . . kind of,” Benintendi said. “I’m working on my swing.”

What does that mean?

Benintendi isn’t looking to overhaul the shape of his swing. Whereas many Red Sox players have shifted from a direct-to-the-ball swing to one in which they try to get their bat path on the plane of the pitch, Benintendi and hitting coach don’t want to tinker with the shape of his swing.

But they’re also mindful that while the 2018 season was a significant step forward for Benintendi, he had disparate performances in the first and second halves. He was a near-All-Star prior to the break, hitting .297/.380/.517 with 14 homers and 44 extra-base hits. After the break, he .279/.343/.384 with 2 homers and 19 extra-base hits.

He actually struck out far less in the final months of the season, but made poor contact, with his ground-ball rate surging from 37.7 percent of balls in play in the first half to 45.4 percent down the stretch. Benintendi wants to cut down on the of grounders he’s pounding into the grass and more frequently drive the ball in the air.

“Sometimes if I get a pitch to hit, I’ll speed up my swing, and it kind of takes away from it finishing high,” he said. “When I speed up, I roll my wrist, then I roll over and hit a topspin ground ball.”

He is working with Hyers to have a more controlled stride that will improve his timing, allowing him to keep his weight back and then unload on pitches at a contact point in front of the plate, something that will allow him to drive the ball in the air. With just over a week away, Hyers said Benintendi’s quest isn’t cause for alarm.

“He’s like all of them, trying to do a little bit better and not settle on what he did last year,” Hyers said. “Benny has a knack for the game and his swing, how it should feel. I don’t worry about him.”

There is a sign of promise for the Sox in Benintendi’s case. As a college freshman, he struggled with his offensive identity when moved to leadoff. He believed his role was to get on base rather than drive the ball, and he hit just one homer in 61 games during which he also dealt with injuries.

Now, Benintendi believes that his job as the Red Sox remains unaltered. He’s not looking to shoot grounders through infield holes but hoping to return to his 2018 first-half form.

“My freshman year I was thinking about, ‘I need to see pitches, get on base more often,’ ” he recalled. “But after that freshman year, I banged that. Now I just want to hit the ball hard into the gaps, and wherever it goes, it goes. It’s not like I’m trying to place the ball somewhere.”

No late word yet Manager Alex Cora said Monday that it remains premature to announce the Red Sox’ late-innings plans as they work through bullpen roster questions. Cora said a decision would be in place by Opening Day in next Thursday. Will the big reveal come before the game or in the ninth inning?

“Or the seventh or eighth?” Cora mused, peeling back the curtain a bit on his willingness to take a flexible approach to the late innings. “It’s something we’re still talking about, but we have to make decisions and they’re going to affect the bullpen and the way we’re going to manage it.”

Cora doesn’t believe that his relievers feel any particular urgency to have defined roles, at a time when they’re more focused on building their pitch mixes.

“Whatever we decide, they’re going to know,” Cora said. “They’re going to know before you guys.”

Dip in velocity Though Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless inning against the Twins Monday, he allowed two hits with his fastball dipping back into the 88-to-90-mile-per-hour range. Though Workman has had at least two off days between every appearance, his velocity has fluctuated in a way that’s puzzled the Sox. “It always is something that we’re looking at,” manager Alex Cora said. “There are certain days that it’s up there with the velocity. There’s other days that it’s not.” Workman has allowed four runs on 10 hits while striking out 13 and walking one in seven Grapefruit League innings . . . Righthander Jenrry Mejia has impressed the Red Sox when summoned into big league games, showing good life on his cutter and slider while also some development of a splitter. The 29-year-old, whom MLB reinstated last season from a lifetime ban for three positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, does not have an opt-out in his contract. That fact, coupled with his lack of remaining minor league options that complicate the team’s ability to send him up and down, make it unlikely that Mejia will open the year in the big leagues. Still, he could become a factor as the season progresses.

Game rained out After Tuesday’s scheduled game against the Blue Jays at JetBlue Park was rained out, the Red Sox will have lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez pitch in a minor league game Wednesday. will start against the Orioles in Sarasota Wednesday night. , who was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday because of illness, was at JetBlue Park Tuesday and was scheduled to play catch.

On a back field, Red Sox pitching past, present, and future all met

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — On one hand, spring training is an exercise in monotony, a setting where practice and repetition create a foundation for the season in an environment where there are no games with intrinsic meaning. Yet in the quiet of the back fields, fascinating dynamics are on display, offering a rare window into the culture of an organization.

On March 5, one moment in time offered a revealing picture of the past, present, and future of Red Sox pitching, and the connections between those baseball generations. On Field 2, a live batting practice session of two simulated innings thrown by Rick Porcello, with perhaps just a couple dozen passersby in attendance, presented a snapshot of a pitching culture.

On the road

Near the Red Sox clubhouse, as prepared to drive a golf cart to watch Porcello, he noticed two people heading to the same destination. He exhorted and David Price to jump in his vehicle, a 475-win confluence of who among them have 14 top-six finishes in Cy Young voting. The 78- year-old Tiant, who parked next to the dugout and watched Porcello from behind the wheel, takes considerable pleasure in the opportunity to remain connected to the current members of the Red Sox.

“The only thing I know, more than anything, is playing baseball,” Tiant said. “This is my life.

“I like to be with the players. They’re like my family. Most of them, I treat them like my kids, maybe like I’m a grandfather.”

“I want to see them get to the big leagues as soon as they can. You try to help them the most you can. They’re all good kids. They’re respectful. That’s important. I enjoy working for them, working with them, and try to help them as much as I can.”

At second base

On the infield where Porcello is pitching, close to second base, Pedro Martinez joined Darwinzon Hernandez to watch and discuss the live batting practice session. Martinez, whose pro career started with minimal expectations, appreciates the rapid rise from obscurity by Hernandez, a lefthander who signed with the Sox out of Venezuela for $7,500 during the summer of 2013.

“This is very unique,” Martinez said. “It’s such a great scene for the kids to understand that there was the same situation for us. I don’t know if they can reflect on that, but we were all once where they are today.”

“The ones in the present can actually react to us. We were there, too. We understand what’s going on. We have been in this situation. It’s got to be somewhat refreshing for all of them to understand that the past, present, and future are all together there.”

For Hernandez, having the 2016 Cy Young winner on the mound and a three-time Cy Young winner alongside him offered an almost bottomless well of learning opportunities. He and Martinez reflected on the purpose behind each of Porcello’s pitches, even in live batting practice.

“It makes me really happy to come here and be on this team, one of my favorite teams, and also to be around these guys,” Hernandez said through translator Daveson Perez. “I almost feel like they’ve helped me too much.”

“When I walk out the door, I feel really excited and really motivated to keep working hard and take what they teach me and use it, and hopefully one day I’ll be able to help this team in the future.”

Behind the mound

Behind the L-screen at the back of the mound, Eduardo Rodriguez and sat on the grass, looking almost like picnickers. Yet there was purpose to the vantage point, particularly for Rodriguez.

Porcello became disenchanted with his changeup as last season progressed. A pitch that had been extremely effective through the end of June (a .208 average and .359 slugging mark against, results that convinced him to use it on about one of every eight pitches) became a liability, with opponents hitting .286 with a .571 slugging mark against the offering from July through the end of the season.

This year, Porcello has sought Rodriguez’s input on a new, two-seam grip on the pitch — something that delighted Rodriguez, considering that he has spent the better part of his first four big league seasons taking instruction rather than offering it.

“He’s got a great changup,” Porcello said of Rodriguez. “He was really excited he taught me something, because all of us are usually trying to keep him in line.”

In this case, sitting behind Porcello allowed Rodriguez to see the righthander’s finger placement on the ball. Rodriguez exuded pride — both for Porcello and for his own opportunity to teach — in discussing what he saw.

“Everybody here, all the five starters, every time we throw a bullpen, we’re all out there,” he said. “We’re helping each other. If we see something, we go out there and say, ‘We see this.’ And we listen to each other.

“I watch [Porcello’s] bullpens and everything. It’s going really good. I’m the guy who was always asking the questions. Now he asked me a question. It’s pretty fun right now.”

Now batting . . .

Three young Red Sox players — 21-year-old Marino Campana and a pair of 19-year-olds who were in high school a year ago before being drafted, Nick Decker and Brandon Howlett — were charged with the task of taking hacks against Porcello.

Campana was the most advanced of the group, having spent 2018 in Single A Greenville. Decker and Howlett spent 2018 playing short-season ball in their pro debuts; though they are among the Red Sox’ top 20 prospects, both are years from the big leagues. They’d never seen a with Porcello’s tools and command.

None made solid contact. None minded.

“He’s carving me up,” Howlett said. “But it was cool getting to see the sequences and the atmosphere. After we got done, me and Decker were walking back from the field just like, ‘Well, back to reality.’ It was cool. It was definitely a blessing.”

Behind the cage

To the side of the batting cage, former Sox teammates (a Fort Myers resident) and (now a special assistant) took stock both of Porcello and the environment. They were particularly struck by the fact that all Red Sox rotation members make a point of attending the throwing sessions of their peers.

“The biggest thing that stands out there is the collective support of each other,” Varitek said. “Derek and I were talking about it. It’s just really cool to see. They all support each other, like, ‘Let’s go to Field 6 to watch this guy.’ It’s a pretty valuable thing.”

Sale and Price, having been dropped off by Tiant, stood in a huddle of pitchers. The group included relievers , , and Brandon Workman, along with A righthander Mike Shawaryn.

To Workman, the social elements of the setting took a back seat to the educational ones.

“Watching Rick, who’s just a professional, getting to watch him go about his work, there isn’t a pitcher in the world who can’t learn something watching Rick,” Workman said. “I think that’s why everyone is out there.”

Yet there was also awareness on the part of the others involved that there was something more at play.

“Pedro’s got three [Cy Youngs],” Barnes said. “He’s one of the greatest of all time. Derek Lowe was phenomenal to watch; true sinkerballer, one of the best in the game.

“You’re sitting there with your teammates, guys who have been there, done that, have accolades, trophies all over the place. It’s fun.

“It kind of shows you the unity of this team, what the guys are willing to do coming back and trying to help us. And we’re all trying to learn from the guys who have been there and have a lot more experience than us.”

Perhaps none could learn more than Shawaryn, the one man in the group who has yet to pitch in the big leagues. In his first big league camp, he understood that the exposure to those conversations represented something extraordinary.

“I’m able to watch what [Porcello] is able to do,” he said. “And then I’m also standing with Sale, Price, Barnes, Workman. It’s really cool.

“To have that experience, be in their company, hear them talk shop . . . I’m very fortunate to be able to be here, be where I’m at right now, fortunate to watch this whole pitching staff go about their business.”

“I’m there trying to just soak everything up. It’s definitely really cool, but it’s part of who we are. It’s awesome to be a part of it.”

Sale, meanwhile, appreciated his place in the middle of the pitching generations — mindful of how he has benefited and continues to benefit from those who came before him.

“I think [the environment] just shows a lot about how the culture of what this place is, what it means to us, what it meant to them, and what it’s going to mean to those guys,” he said. “It just shows the character of the organization.”

On the mound

Porcello was so eager to throw to hitters — the first time he’d done so since the World Series — that he had trouble sleeping the night before. His love of competition has endeared him to former Red Sox pitchers (he’s drawn both considerable insight and amusement from Lowe over the last two years), while his work ethic and professionalism have made him a paragon for current and future Red Sox pitchers to model.

That Porcello could stand amid a confluence of those groups on Field 2 on a quiet, gray Tuesday morning suggested something that was remarkable precisely because, for so many Red Sox pitchers of so many different ages, it was home.

“It’s pretty unique,” Porcello said. “We talk about us being a family, and we talk about it with the 25 guys in the clubhouse, but it’s the entire organization. That’s a great example of it right there. Everybody is happy to be here and wants to be here.”

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox notebook: Rainout limits club’s look at potential relievers

Jason Mastrodonato

FORT MYERS — Rain washed away one of the final few days of spring training as the Red Sox attempt to finalize their 25-man roster for Opening Day.

The Sox had to cancel their scheduled afternoon game Tuesday against the Blue Jays at JetBlue Park. All refunds automatically were sent to the original ticket holders and the game will not be made up.

That leaves four Grapefruit League games left on the schedule for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the Sox finish camp and head to for two preseason exhibitions against the Cubs next Monday and Tuesday. The season begins next Thursday in Seattle.

Eduardo Rodriguez, who was supposed to pitch Tuesday, will start in a minor league game Wednesday on the back fields at JetBlue Park while Rick Porcello will take the ball in Sarasota against the Orioles for the 6:05 p.m. start.

The Sox then have two more night games, the first at home Thursday against the Rays, when Chris Sale would be on regular rest. Then they play down the road Friday against the Twins, when David Price could return from illness to make his final spring start, though the rotation has not yet officially been announced.

The final game is Saturday afternoon in Fort Myers against the Pirates.

Both of the final two home games and the Saturday game will be televised by NESN, though Thursday night’s game will air on NESNplus.

FINAL LOOKS FOR BULLPEN HOPEFULS

By Monday, the Sox will need to have locked in arbitration-eligible players or cut them from the team to avoid paying them salaries for the 2019 season, according to a league source.

That’s of particular importance to Tyler Thornburg, who will be the highest-paid pitcher in the Red Sox bullpen if he makes the roster. Due $1.75 million via arbitration, Thornburg is trying to prove he’s deserving of the salary and a roster spot Opening Day. He’s allowed seven runs on 10 hits in five innings and has pitched just once in the last 10 days.

The Sox also need to figure out who will be the , if they’re going with one closer.

“We’ll see,” manager Alex Cora said Monday. “March 28. We still have to make decisions as far as the bullpen, who we’re taking, where we’re going to go.”

Ryan Brasier has pitched in only one game as he returns from a toe infection. Matt Barnes has shown good velocity but been knocked around for five runs on eight hits in four appearances.

“It’s something we’re still talking about but we have to make decisions and they’re going to affect the bullpen and the way we’re going to manage it,” Cora said.

A-ROD AND CORA CONNECT

ESPN announced programming to televise an exclusive Alex Rodriguez interview with Cora next Thursday night at 11 p.m. on ESPN 2, which will directly follow the Red Sox’ Opening Day game against the Mariners.

Rodriguez also sat down for interviews with the Brewers’ Christian Yelich and the Mets’ new general manager, Brodie Van Wagenen.

“I hope people come away from these conversations with a deeper sense of who these guys truly are, what motivates them and the hard work that’s necessary for a meaningful pivot,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

Joey Cora traces Red Sox passion of brother Alex

Tom Keegan

BRADENTON, Fla. — Earlier this week, a few hours before first pitch at Lecom Park, spring training home of the Pirates, third base coach Joey Cora stands outside the home clubhouse, holding a bat by the barrel, and cracks: “He’s not coming today. He’s blowing me off.”

Wearing the grin that was part of making him so popular with fans of the White Sox and Mariners, he’s talking about his kid brother Alex, who managed at JetBlue Park on a day the Red Sox played split-squad games.

By nature, big brothers tend to be protective of younger siblings, and Joey, 10 years Alex’ senior, became even more so when their father died of cancer when Alex was 13. Joey already had made his major league debut with the Padres by that point.

Joey acknowledged feeling the ups and downs as if it were his own team throughout a 2018 postseason in which the Red Sox went 11-3 under their rookie manager on the way to the franchise’s ninth World Series championship.

“Our mom, (two) sisters and our cousins were at all the (postseason) games. We had a great, great, great time,” Joey said. “For me, it was stressful because it was the playoffs and my little brother was there managing the team, but the way it ended up, it was fun.”

As for Joey’s nerves when he watched his brother enter his first season as a manager in the big leagues, different story.

“No, no, we knew he was ready,” Joey said. “He had a bunch of interviews, but he wanted one job, and that was to be the manager of the Boston Red Sox, and it worked out.”

Alex played for the Red Sox three-plus seasons (2005-08), an experience that, according to Joey, put the organization at the top of his managing wish list.

“He knew what the media was all about, what the fans were all about, what the city was all about,” Joey said. “Everybody knows that he loves the Boston Red Sox. He loved it when he played there. He loves it now.”

The source of his brother’s love?

“I think the fact that the fans care a lot about the Red Sox,” Joey said. “They really do. And the pressure, people call it pressure, but that’s fun when they care and they know the game. Yeah, they might criticize you and they might get on you, but don’t let fans from another team criticize you because they’ll kick your (butt). They’ll protect their own. They’ll get on them, but they’re the only ones allowed to get on them, not anybody else. He loves that about Boston Red Sox fans.”

The roots of Alex’ readiness for the job reach much deeper than his days playing for the Red Sox.

“He’s always been sharp in baseball since he was a little kid,” Joey said. “He paid attention to details almost since he was born, when he was playing and when he was watching. In school, that’s a different story. He was very smart, but he could have given more in school. He always knew what he needed to do to get by. Now, when you talk about baseball, he always wanted to be up here on the top. He wanted to know it all. In school, he just wanted to know enough to pass.”

Joey cited Alex’ days playing in Boston as preparing him for the media scrutiny that comes with managing the Red Sox. Others point to Alex’ ESPN TV experience. Yet, the factor that likely outweighs both is a long-standing respect for the profession, instilled when his father practiced it.

Joey talked fondly of the days when Jose Manuel Cora, sportswriter for the San Juan Star who covered the hometown Criollos de Caguas in winter baseball and basketball, took his sons to Criollos games.

“Alex was always asking questions about plays, about situations at those games,” Joey said. “(Years later), I would bring him into the clubhouse in winter ball and a little bit with the White Sox, and he was always asking the players questions. He always was into not just playing the game, but studying it, big-time into it.”

Joey has been answering baseball questions for as long as he can remember, which would seem to prepare him well for the seven job interviews without a job offer that he has done for big league managing jobs.

“I guess they didn’t like the way I interviewed,” he said. “I’m living my dream through him. I’m extremely happy that he’s a manager. I’m happy with what I’m doing. I’m happy here with the Pirates.”

During a playing career that included scoring more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons, Joey was known for having a head that could a little hot. Alex’ cool demeanor is one of his most celebrated traits as a manager.

“I think he hides it well. When he’s under stress or in situations where he wants to blow his top off, he hides it well,” said Joey, who is more like the manager for whom he most enjoyed playing, Lou Piniella. “Even the people who people think are unflappable and they’re nice and cool, they hide it well. That’s what he does. We’re different. Everybody’s different, but we’re similar too.”

Alex played three more seasons than Joey (14-11), but Joey, an All-Star in 1997, was the better player. The better manager? We’ll never know unless Joey gets his shot.

Mookie Betts should look to top Mike Trout’s historic contract

Jason Mastrodonato

FORT MYERS — If Mookie Betts has made anything clear about his outlook on salary negotiations, it’s that he doesn’t want to follow the market.

He wants to set it.

Mike Trout reportedly agreed Tuesday to a historic contract extension that would net him $430 million over the next 12 years, keeping him in an Angels uniform until he’s 40 years old.

“If anyone is deserving of something like that in , it’s him or Mookie Betts,” former All-Star outfielder said on MLB Network Radio. “Bryce Harper got what he got but I definitely think those guys are a better talent. Not taking away from Harper, but talk about five-tool players, Trout and Mookie Betts are those guys.”

In Boston, the Red Sox have a new standard for comparison. The bar has been set for the best player in baseball. And though the $36 million Trout will make on average is a historic value, it’s only 16 percent more than the $31 million annually the Red Sox committed to paying David Price just three years ago.

One could look at the Trout contract and assume Betts should fall in line around that number. They’re similar players with similar earth-shattering numbers to begin their careers. Over the last three seasons, they rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in OPS among American League hitters, with Trout’s 1.046 mark leading the way.

But Betts, a year younger, put up the better season in 2018, hitting .346 with a 1.078 OPS to win the American League MVP honors.

Trout has 26.4 WAR compared to Betts’ 24 WAR over the last three years, per , though Betts’ 10.4 WAR in 2018 eclipsed Trout’s previous record of 10.2 WAR in 2013.

The case could be made for either, but by this time next year, as Betts sets out to begin his final year under contract with the Red Sox, there’s reason to believe he’ll be looking for an even higher annual average salary than Trout.

A look at the way Betts has handled his salary negotiations thus far in his career reveals a willingness to fight for his perceived value. With zero leverage, he fought for a better contract before he even was arbitration eligible, when players have no power and teams can assign any contract they deem fit to a player, so long as it’s more than the MLB minimum.

And yet Betts received $950,000 in 2017, much higher than the $535,000 minimum that year, and close to Trout’s record of $1 million for a pre-arb player.

In 2018, Betts again reached for the sky as he requested $10.5 million, the second-highest salary awarded to a first-year arbitration eligible player at the time. The Red Sox countered at a lower number, but a third- party arbiter determined Betts was deserving of the near-record contract. Only ’s $10.85 million was higher.

And for 2019, the Red Sox chose not to fight Betts, instead awarding him a $20 million salary, a new record for second-year arbitration players.

So why stop there?

Assuming Betts puts up another big year in 2019, he should enter the 2020 season looking for a more lucrative long-term contract than the one Trout received. And unlike Trout, who has made his happiness and contentment in Los Angeles very clear, Betts has shown no willingness to take a hometown discount, at least not publicly.

“I have little doubt that Trout would have done better on the free market,” a prominent MLB agent who has some of the game’s biggest stars told the Herald. “But it is not about the last dollar for him but rather loyalty and comfort. No additional amount of money would have changed his lifestyle one iota. He made the right decision for himself and his family and he should be applauded. It is a great contract and it will be a long time before it impacts any other player.”

That Trout clearly didn’t maximize his value is one reason the argument can be made that this contract won’t impact other players.

And another factor: the baseball market in Boston is not the same as it is in Los Angeles. Players tend to seek bigger contracts in bigger markets. Last year, Forbes ranked the Red Sox the 19th most valuable sports franchise in the world, valued at $2.8 billion. Then they won the World Series. The Angels, meanwhile, weren’t even on Forbes’ top 50.

“Trout was obviously motivated to do this deal now, is happy about it and it obviously makes sense for him,” another MLB agent told the Herald. “Happy for him. He is a great player and very deserving.”

Betts hasn’t shown a similar motivation. Not yet, at least. He has, however, shown the desire to be a market setter.

And that means topping Trout’s contract, not just matching it.

* MassLive.com

Boston Red Sox rainout: Spring training game vs. Blue Jays cancelled Tuesday

Chris Cotillo

The Red Sox will not play Tuesday afternoon. Their Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays was rained out and will not be rescheduled.

The Sox and Jays were also rained out Feb. 26 in Dunedin. They have not played this spring.

Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was scheduled to start for Boston but will instead pitch in a minor-league game at Wednesday. Righty Rick Porcello will start Wednesday night in Sarasota against the Orioles.

The Red Sox have four games remaining in , taking on the Orioles on the road Wednesday and the Rays at home Thursday before heading across town to play the Twins at Friday. Their Grapefruit League finale comes Saturday afternoon against the Rays before the team travels to Arizona for a two-game exhibition series against the Cubs.

Boston is dead last in the Grapefruit League standings with an 8-15 record. Opening Day is as week from Thursday in Seattle.

* The Lawrence Eagle Tribune

What's up Mookie: With Trout signed to mega-deal Sox star is now on the clock

Chris Mason

Mike Trout just went deep. And Mookie Betts was watching from the on-deck circle.

After three superstars that are statistically inferior, , Bryce Harper, and , signed deals for $330 million, $300 million and $260 million respectively, Betts' one American League superior blew them out of the water.

Trout agreed to a 12-year, $430 million extension that will ensure he retires an Angel. No opt outs, no-trade clause, the works. The best player of the decade wanted to stay in Los Angeles, so they made him the highest paid player in history.

The 's resume speaks for itself. If you're into WAR, his 64.3 is already closing in on Hall-of- Fame caliber at 27. If MVP awards are your thing, Trout his finished first or second in six of his seven big league seasons.

Conventional stats? He bats .307 with 37 homers and 99 RBIs in a 162-game average. His consistency is without precedent, and it's always interesting to see what different players prioritize when it comes time to sign a new contract.

It was clear Arenado wanted to stay in his Colorado comfort zone, Harper wanted to become the face of the Phillies, and Machado wanted to be the first $300 million free agent — so he's a Padre.

But what does Betts want?

It's hard to say, because the hasn't really. Betts drops hints from time to time, but for the most part he's been tight-lipped whenever extension talks have been broached, citing how hard it is to get a deal done. Asked about Harper's contract last month, Betts was understandably happy to see him cash in.

"He deserves it. That and more," Betts said. "I mean, he’s a great player. So good for him.”

The Sox were rained out yesterday, so Betts wasn't available for comment on Trout's deal, but Chicago's Kris Bryant is another player looking at a monster extension.

“(Trout) deserves that and more," Bryant told Cubs reporters. "He has been the best player in our game for a long time."

The phrasing is strikingly similar to Betts' Harper appraisal, no? It's fair to wonder whether the MLBPA has gotten in the ears of young superstars after another slow-moving offseason and coached them up. Speak this way and get all the money you can.

To this point, Betts has given every indication that he wants to test free agency.

According to the , the right fielder turned down an eight-year, $200 million extension offer after the 2017 season. Coming off a down year by his standards, he decided to bet on himself. That looks like an awfully wise move now, as Betts responded with an MVP performance and could now command tens of millions more.

Trout was set to hit free agency alongside Betts in 2020, but now with his new deal, Betts will be the best in the class — bar none.

On the open market, perhaps he could incite a bidding war and wind up with Trout money. If Betts wants to become the highest paid player, he can certainly give it the college try. An extension with the Red Sox may yield him less than that, but more than Harper, Machado and Arenado, given his recent dominance.

So in the meantime the Sox and Betts are left to navigate somewhere between Harper's $330 million and Trout's $430 million. That's quite a bit of gray area.

And for what it's worth, Betts has gone on the record saying setting the next generation up means something to him.

"It's not just about me," Betts said in February. "The guys behind me, you want to do things for them. As players we're all kind of one. We play the game. You just have to kind of pass the baton to the next guy and think about their family."

After Arenado, Machado, and Harper signed, Betts was asked whether his landscape was coming into focus.

"No. Not really. We're all different players," Betts said. "We all have different things that are important. Like I said, good for those guys. They deserve it. We'll just continue to worry about what's going on now."

But just what is it that's important to Betts? We'll find out in the coming months.

* RedSox.com

Rain washes away Toronto-Boston matchup

Ian Browne

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- With rain in the forecast all day, the Blue Jays-Red Sox game scheduled for Tuesday at JetBlue Park has been canceled.

Tickets for the game will be automatically refunded to the original account holder of record and will not be required to be returned for reimbursement.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who was supposed to start against the Blue Jays, will instead pitch a Minor League game on Wednesday.

Righty Rick Porcello gets the nod when Boston plays next on Wednesday night (6:05 ET) in Sarasota against Baltimore.

The Sox play night games at home on Thursday (Rays) and on the road on Friday (Twins).

The final Grapefruit League contest of Spring Training for the defending World Series champions will take place at JetBlue Park on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET against the Pirates.

After that, it is off to Arizona for exhibition games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday. Boston opens its season in Seattle against the Mariners on March 28.

Between now and then, the Red Sox still have a few questions to be answered.

Who will earn the final roster spots in the bullpen?

Will manager Alex Cora pick a designated closer or go with a committee?

Which of the three will be moved to another team?

Could Sale and Betts garner extensions?

Ian Browne

With the Red Sox getting rained out for Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays, it seemed like the perfect time to empty out the Inbox and answer all of your questions, with a little more than a week left until Opening Day.

Will Betts and Sale sign? -- @meiavermelha

I remain optimistic that Chris Sale will sign a contract extension with the Red Sox before he reaches free agency at the end of the 2019 season. Both sides are on record as saying they’d like to keep this union going, and Sale is the type of person who just wants to be treated fairly rather than demanding top dollar.

As for the Mookie Betts situation, that is certainly getting more interesting with Tuesday's report that the Angels and Mike Trout are on the verge of finalizing a 12-year, $430 million deal. Betts still has two seasons before he reaches free agency, just as Trout did. I know the Red Sox would love to keep Betts for his entire career.

However, Betts could have visions of getting a record-setting deal once he reaches free agency, especially since it no longer looks like he will be competing with Trout on the open market.

Is it a closer by committee?

I think that fans of the 2003 Red Sox are still haunted by that term. But it’s a real possibility, and this year’s cast should be more equipped to handle that kind of usage than the more veteran-laden group in ’03. Under any scenario, I think Matt Barnes will get the most save opportunities and Ryan Brasier will get the second most.

But by not locking themselves into the same pitcher going in the ninth inning, the Red Sox can bring their best available pitcher into the game at the most critical moments. Sometimes this might be the seventh instead of the eighth. Manager Alex Cora hasn’t said definitively this is the philosophy he will use, but it seems to be trending that way.

Is Kimbrel not resigning just dollars and years related or are there physical concerns? He's too good to be on the sidelines.

From the standpoint of the Red Sox, there are several factors at work. The first is money. They have more than $240 million committed to the rest of the roster, and they had to pick one area of the team not to overextend themselves. They also noticed a dip in 's command in the second half that obviously carried into the playoffs.

And let’s face it, Kimbrel never seemed on board with showing flexibility regarding usage. Cora had said at the beginning of Spring Training last year that he’d like to use Kimbrel in the eighth inning at times, and it rarely happened. Kimbrel never seemed very comfortable being used in unconventional ways.

I can’t speak for why other teams haven’t signed Kimbrel yet, because he has definitely earned the right to close for someone. He’s had a great career.

Who’s in the bullpen Opening Day?

You’re putting me on the spot, and why not? Here are my eight. Barnes, Brasier, , Tyler Thornburg, Brian Johnson, Brandon Workman, Hector Velazquez and Darwinzon Hernandez.

Is there anyone standing out in becoming the closer, even if the philosophy might be closer by committee to begin the season

It’s been hard for anyone to stand out, because all of the key relievers have been on a delayed progression, after the extended workload from last October. Barnes has pitched just four times, and Brasier will pitch for the second time on Wednesday. We’ve only seen Hembree twice. I think Cora has a general idea of what he can get from these pitchers. Thornburg is the big unknown right now, because of his injury history. His velocity has been up, but the results have been spotty.

Who do you think gets that final catching spot? or Sandy Leon?

My guess at this moment is that Blake Swihart will win the backup job. You have to give him a legit shot at some point. Under this scenario, you could DFA Sandy Leon. If nobody claims him or trades for him, you could outright him to Triple-A, and still have him in the organization if either Christian Vazquez or Swihart is injured during the season.

How effective can be this season after missing so much time with injuries?

Dustin Pedroia has proven that his skills are still there in his limited playing time this spring. He still has the bat speed. Pedroia still hits it on the barrel more often than not, and he has made the plays defensively. If he can stay on the field, I do believe he will get his timing back and resume being a pretty good player, though he might not be the star he once was.

But the question is whether Pedroia's left knee will be able to withstand the pounding of a full baseball season. Only time will tell. I think Cora will be smart with Pedroia's playing time, and give this every chance to work. You’d hate to see it have to end for him like it did for with the Mets.

Who starts at 2B if Pedey is on the IL?

Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez will split the position, just like they did for much of last season. The Red Sox are confident in the production and reliability they can get from these two veterans, especially if Pedroia’s absence is just short term.

How much playing time do you think Nuñez will get this year? He seems healthy and if he’s anything like his 2016 self it opens up a lot of options.

Cora is a bigger believer in utilizing his bench and keeping them involved. Last year, Nunez got 480 at- bats, but that was with Pedroia being out for just about the whole season. I think 350 would be a realistic estimate. And if Nunez’s right leg is fully healthy this year, I’d expect much more consistent production than last year.

* WEEI.com

Setting the lines for Red Sox players' over/unders

Rob Bradford

With Opening Day just more than a week away we're starting to lock in on predictions and projections.

BetOnline Sportsbook has gotten a jump on things by setting over/unders for Red Sox' players' 2019 production. Here is what they are going with:

Mookie Betts, regular season batting average. Over/Under: .302

Mookie Betts, regular season total. Over/Under: 27.5

Mookie Betts, regular season RBI total. Over/Under: 90.5

Mookie Betts, regular season number of total runs. Over/Under: 99.5

Mookie Betts, regular season total. Over/Under: 27.5.

J.D. Martinez, regular season batting average. Over/under: .302

J.D. Martinez, regular season home run total. Over/Under: 35.5

J.D. Martinez, regular season RBI total. Over/Under: 102.5

J.D. Martinez, regular season number of total runs. Over/Under: 89.5

Xander Bogaerts, regular season batting average. Over/Under: .282

Xander Bogaerts, regular season home run total. Over/Under: 17.5

Xander Bogaerts, regular season RBI total. Over/Under: 80.5

Xander Bogaerts, regular season number of total runs. Over/Under: 75.5

Andrew Benintendi, regular season batting average. Over/Under: .285

Andrew Benintendi, regular season home run total. Over/Under: 16.5

Andrew Benintendi, regular season RBI total. Over/Under: 82.5

Andrew Benintendi, regular season total number of runs. Over/Under: 89.5

Andrew Benintendi, regular season stolen base total. Over/Under: 19.5

Rafael Devers, regular season home run total. Over/Under: 19.5

Rafael Devers, regular season RBI total. Over/Under: 67.5

Chris Sale, regular season win total. Over/Under: 13 1/2

Chris Sale, regular season total. Over/Under: 225 1/2

Rick Porcello, regular season win total. Over/Under: 12 1/2

Rick Porcello, regular season strikeout total. Over/Under: 169.5

David Price, regular season win total. Over/Under: 12 1/2

David Price, regular season strikeout total. Over/Under: 170.5

Eduardo Rodriguez, regular season win total. Over/Under: 8.5

* NBC Sports Boston

Mike Trout's huge reported Angels extension gives Mookie Betts his blueprint

Darren Hartwell

We're still weeks away from meaningful baseball games, but Mookie Betts' projected value in free agency continues to rise.

The Los Angeles Angels are finalizing a gargantuan 12-year contract extension with outfielder Mike Trout worth more than $430 million total, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday.

That's an average annual salary of $35.8 million, smashing 's previous record of $34.4 million per year and making Trout the highest-paid player in baseball by both annual salary and total contract worth.

Trout and Betts, both former American League MVPs and generational talents, both were set to become free agents following the 2020 season and launch historic bidding wars for their services.

But the Angels reportedly got ahead of the game Tuesday -- and in the process set a target for Betts to shoot for in free agency.

We already knew the Boston Red Sox outfielder would be within his right asking for a deal north of $350 million after Bryce Harper's 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

With Trout re-upping the bar to $430 million, though, Betts can make a case to earn at least $400 million total or at least $35 million per year if he desires a shorter deal.

Why? Because even if you think Trout is the best player in baseball, you could argue Betts is right behind him: Both players have very similar career 162-game averages at the plate, while Betts has three Gold Gloves to Trout's zero.

The timing of Trout's reported extension is important, as well. Betts signed a one-year, $20 million extension with Boston in January during arbitration, but do the Red Sox try to follow the Angels' blueprint and lock up their superstar to a long-term deal either this season or next before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020?

If they don't, they'll have to compete on the open market for one of the best players in the game -- and put a Trout-like number on the table to convince Betts to stay in Boston.

Could Red Sox prospect Durbin Feltman help bullpen in 2019? Early results are promising

Nick Goss

Durbin Feltman is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing prospects in the Boston Red Sox farm system, and you might be hearing a lot more from him later in the year.

The Red Sox bullpen took a hit this offseason when left to sign with the in free agency and the team decided not to bring back free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel. Matt Barnes is one option to be the next closer, but he hasn't proven to be the undisputed candidate in spring training so far. As a result, there's still no clear-cut candidate for the closer role, so it's possible the dreaded bullpen-by- committee approach could be the strategy to open the 2019 season.

If the bullpen struggles or lacks certain elements throughout the year, it's possible Feltman could get some run at the Major League level to showcase his talents.

"I saw him Monday. The stuff was there. You can see it," Cora told reporters, per WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. "Everybody knows about him. I still remember people thought he was going to be the savior last year when he got drafted. It’s not that easy. It’s not that easy. We went through it in ’05 [with Craig Hansen] and he was kind of like the guy and it didn’t turn out to be that.

"You’ve got to be very careful. This is still the big leagues. I don’t know if I have told you guys, my brother, he puts it in a very particular way. It’s A-ball, -A, Triple-A, it’s not 4-A, it’s MLB. There’s a difference. There’s a big jump from the A’s to MLB. There’s a period of adjustment."

Feltman was selected by the Sox with the 100th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old right- hander has a powerful fastball and an improved breaking ball, as evidenced in Sunday's spring training outing against the .

Feltman had a 1.93 ERA, four saves, 36 strikeouts and five walks over 23 1/3 innings for three different Single-A teams during the 2018 season. He's tallied four strikeouts with three walks in 1 2/3 innings for Boston this spring.

There's no question Feltman has impressive talent and could be a valuable arm for the Red Sox bullpen sooner than later. Feltman needs to prove himself in Double-A to begin 2019, and if he shines at that level, a major league callup later in the year wouldn't be out of the question.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

As one record-setting deal follows another, Mookie Betts watches his value skyrocket

Sean McAdam

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Better than 20 years ago, in the throes of a contentious contract extension battle with the Red Sox, noted a basic rule of baseball economics.

“Gentlemen,” said Vaughn to a group of sportswriters assembled in the Red Sox clubhouse, “the price goes up every day.”

Surely, Mookie Betts can appreciate such a sentiment.

Betts has not had a meaningful at-bat since last October, and yet, his value has managed to grow anyway. First, he was named the 2018 American League AL MVP. More recently, he has watched as a number of his contemporaries have landed huge contracts — either via free agency or through extensions with their current teams.

Betts won’t qualify for free agency until after the 2020 season, but his leverage has only been strengthened with these series of deals:

Manny Machado signed a 10-year, $300-million deal with the San Diego Padres. Nolan Arenado agreed to an eight-year, $260-million contract with the . Bryce Harper got a 13-year, $330-million package from the Philadelphia Phillies, a record at the time. And now, Mike Trout is on the verge of signing a landmark 10-year, $363.5-million extension to remain with the Los Angeles Angels. (Coupled with the two years remaining on his current deal, which runs through 2020 and pay him $66.5 million, Trout will make $430 million over 12 years. Three of the four deals topped $300 million in value. All but Harper’s is worth an average annual value of better than $30 million.

Together, they help establish the bar for Betts. Or more accurately, for the Red Sox, since Betts stands to get his money from some team in the next 20 or so months.

These two points are obvious: Betts will almost certainly top Arenado and Machado when it comes to total value of his next deal. And if the Red Sox are going to keep Betts beyond 2020, it will likely require them to double the biggest contract (eight years, $160 million for ) they’ve given a position player in franchise history. David Price, with a seven-year, $217 million deal, is the highest paid player in franchise history, and that, too, will be eclipsed.

There’s a reason that Betts hasn’t signed an extension yet, despite at least two known overtures from the Red Sox: he’s in no hurry to give away any leverage. And why should he?

For all the talk of a flattened free agent market over the last two winters, the elite players have been well rewarded. Aging 30-plus players (, Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel) have either signed below-market deals or remain unemployed.

But for proven players still in their 20s, the money has flowed.

First came Machado, becoming just the seventh player in MLB history to reach an AAV of $30 million and the second player to crack the $300 million total. Next, there was Arenado, who laid claim to the second- biggest AAV in baseball history (Zack Greinke is tops at $34.4 million).

Then came Harper, who (temporarily) established a record for biggest deal, only to be eclipsed, just two weeks later, by Trout.

If there’s a lesson here, it’s this: he who signs last, makes the most.

For the time being, there’s nobody standing between here and the end of the 2020 season likely to rival the deals that have been signed in the last month or so. The 2019-20 free agent class features Chris Sale, , , , and , and while all can expect nine-figure deals, all but Cole (29) and Rendon (29) are 30 or older, and pitchers in their 30s are, for the most part, notoriously risky investments.

That leaves Betts as the most attractive free agent over the next two cycles. He won’t have anyone to further drive up his value — other than himself, of course.

That prospect shouldn’t be discounted. At 26 — he won’t turn 27 until October — Betts is at the point of his career when improvement is still expected. It helps that Betts is demanding of himself and won’t set limits.

“Mookie doesn’t want to be good at everything,” noted teammate J.D. Martinez recently. “He wants to be great.”

But even if Betts doesn’t take his game to the next level, the 2018 version is plenty attractive enough. Betts became the first player in American League history to earn the MVL, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and World Series in the same season. His WAR of 10.9 in 2018 was the second-greatest single season for any Red Sox position player, topped only by ’s 1967 Triple Crown season, and the most for any player since Barry Bonds posted an 11.8 in 2002.

The Red Sox now face the prospect of Betts inching closer to free agency with each passing day, which should add some urgency to their approach.

Betts, though, is in no hurry. After all: the price goes up every day.

* The Athletic

Mike Trout has signed the biggest deal in baseball history. You’re up, Mookie Betts.

Chad Jennings

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The best player of his generation has signed a record contract extension, which means the second-best player in the game has a fresh standard for his own contract talks.

ESPN was the first to report Tuesday that Mike Trout is on the verge of a 10-year contract extension with the Angels. The end result will be a 12-year commitment worth roughly $426 million, easily eclipsing the previous records for total value and average annual value. It’s a contract befitting a player who, at 27 years old, already ranks among the 100 greatest position players in history, according to Baseball Reference WAR, likely to surpass Hall of Famers Willie McCovey, , Carlton Fisk and in the coming year.

Mookie Betts is one year younger than Trout, and his 35.2 career WAR is barely halfway to Trout’s 64.3. Betts’ greatest seasons have been comparable to Trout’s, but Betts does not have the same seven-year record of consistency. The two players are not directly comparable. Trout is otherworldly.

But Betts is the next-best thing in the game today. His career WAR is higher than that of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Nolan Arenado, the other three superstars who signed mega contracts in the past month.

“I can’t speak on anybody else’s free agencies, how that’s going,” Betts said at the beginning of spring training. “But for myself, it helps to kind of be patient and let it happen. When you start rushing into things, that’s when you get some deals that may not be the right ones. I think I can just kind of settle down and think about what’s going on.”

While the players union, and several players themselves, have become vocal about their frustrations regarding the state of free agency, massive contracts have been repeatedly handed out to the truly elite position players still in their mid-to-late 20s. Pitchers and players in their 30s – players seen has higher risk – have had a harder time finding long-term contracts, but players like Betts have been compensated with record deals, eclipsing even the biggest contracts of the previous five seasons.

Betts is under Red Sox team control through the 2020 season. He avoided arbitration this offseason by agreeing to a $20-million salary for 2019. It’s the largest salary ever paid to a player in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Betts will be arbitration eligible for the final time this coming offseason, and the largest contract ever awarded in the final year of arbitration is the $26-million deal Arenado signed in January, a month before agreeing to his a seven-year extension. Betts seems likely to break that arbitration record as well, but only if he gets to that point.

Alex Rodriguez’s industry-rattling 10-year, $252-million deal signed in 2000 is almost quaint by today’s standards. It is, perhaps, a starting point for the game’s great players, but not for the game’s truly elite. Betts is among the truly elite.

In the past three years, Betts has won an MVP award, three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. He’s finished second in one other round of MVP voting and sixth in another. He ranks 26th among active position players in career WAR, with the 25 ahead of him all older with considerably more than his five years of big league experience.

His talent and performance are unquestioned. Assigning value is the real trick.

Betts’ age-35 season will arrive in 2028, 10 seasons from now. His age-38 season will be 2031, 13 seasons from now. Whether Betts prefers a Machado-like 10-year commitment or a Harper-esque 13, his age fits nicely within the precedent they’ve set, leaving plenty of room for Betts and the Red Sox to find common ground. Length of contract is not the difficult part. It is, of course, the money.

To say Betts falls somewhere between Trout and Harper/Machado/Arenado is both obvious and vague. A full $100 million separates what Trout will earn in the next 12 years from what Harper will earn in the next 13. That’s a financial chasm wide enough to never find middle ground. Even if you assume Betts belongs closer to the Harper/Machado group, how much closer? More than Harper’s total salary, but also higher than Machado’s average annual value?

Eleven years, $340 million? Is that reasonable? Is it even in the ballpark?

And in this environment of distrust between the players union and the baseball owners, it’s impossible to overlook Betts’ new role at the head of the class. With Trout signed, and the Harper and Machado sweepstakes over, Betts carries the burden of setting the next precedent, a responsibility he’s felt for at least the past month.

“It’s not just about me,” he said in February, after Machado signed with the Padres. “The guys behind me, you want to do things for them. As players we’re all kind of one. We play the game. You just have to kind of pass the baton to the next guy and think about their family.”

The baton has been passed. It’s Betts’ turn time to take it.

* The

Mike Trout’s $432 million deal spells disaster for the Red Sox

Bill Madden

JUPITER, Fla. – Bryce Harper can cancel his recruiting pitch. The Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, Cubs, Giants, and whoever else can cease their 2020 dreaming. Mike Trout has ended all speculation about what he might do in two years by signing what is by far the richest deal in sports history, 12 years/$432 million, essentially to remain an LA Angel for life.

And the happiest man on the baseball planet today is Mookie Betts.

First off, you have to give Angels owner Arte Moreno credit. He couldn’t miss what was coming – a wild bidding war for his two-time AL MVP superstar center fielder in two years should Trout have elected to opt out of his contract. Harper’s Phillies are only 45 miles away from Trout’s home town of Millville, NJ, and would have been front and center when bidding opened. It would have been a war he likely could not have won. So Moreno took advantage of the fact Trout is still his player and under his control and exercised a preemptive strike to put an end, once and for all, to the endless rumors about Trout wanting to go to a team that could get him to a World Series - a place the Angels haven’t come close to yet in his first seven-plus years with them.

It is not known how hard Moreno gulped while doling out the biggest contract – by far – in sports history. He still owes another $87 million more through 2021 in one of the dumbest contracts ever, after all. The commitment to Trout is about $344 million more than Moreno paid for the entire Angel franchise in 2003. But this is a new age in baseball where a player like Harper, who hit under .250 in two of the last three seasons and has really had only one superstar season, can get $330 million. Trout is a special player, one of the best ever, who’s only just now entering his prime, and Moreno knew he had to keep him at all costs, if only for the value Trout adds to his franchise.

And you have to give credit to Trout. For despite, all those rumors, he never had any desire to leave the Angels, the team who originally signed him. He’s very happy living in beautiful Laguna Beach, and he always wanted to be what is now: an ever-so-rare one-team player. He never gave a thought to going to the Phillies. He knew he was going to get the $400 million plus, especially after Harper completed his 13-year, $330 million deal with them. There’s no comparison between the two players. But instead of putting Moreno off, with an eye on going out onto the open market where all of baseball biggest spenders would be bidding wildly for his services, he put loyalty and comfort ahead of the money. That’s why there are no opt-outs in this contract and he has a full no-trade clause.

What has not changed with the contract, however, is the Angels are still not a very good team, not in the absence of a single bona fide No. 1 starter. Twelve years is a long time and maybe they’ll start to develop quality front line starting pitching and add some All-Star caliber players around Trout. For Trout’s sake – or maybe it’s for our sake too - we can only hope he doesn’t replicate Ernie Banks, a great player, super great guy, good will ambassador for all of baseball, who spent his entire career with the and never got to showcase his vast talents in the World Series.

So now that Trout is out of play, the focus is squarely on Betts, the Red Sox’ defending AL MVP, who will be a free agent in 2020. When Betts rejected their eight-year/$200 million extension offer after the 2017 season, the Red Sox were resigned to going year-to-year with him in arbitration, including the record $20 million he got this year in his second go-round in the process. But now they are in the same predicament as Arte Moreno was. Betts, only 25, is coming off a monster season in which he led the AL in batting (.346) and slugging (.640) with 32 homers and 30 stolen bases and his third Gold Glove. At the same time, he hasn’t sounded like he embraces Boston in the same way Trout does southern California. After settling his arbitration case, Betts said: “Boston is definitely a tough atmosphere to play. Not everyone is cut out for it.”

It would sure seem the last thing the Red Sox want to do is to let Betts get out into the open market in 2020, because if that happens, they will also probably lose. The reverberations of the Trout contract were being felt all through the offices Tuesday. The sound you heard was John Henry gulping at thought of now having to double that $200 million Betts turned down in 2017 and hoping it’ll be enough to convince his star to be a Boston Red Sox for life.

* The New York Post

Mookie Betts rejecting Red Sox looks more lucrative by the second

Joel Sherman

Boston star right fielder Mookie Betts gambled on himself, and the current indicators are that he is going to financially benefit greatly from that decision.

Betts rejected an eight-year, $200 million extension proposal following the 2017 season, according to a source. Two other sources said the Red Sox have made several attempts at a long-term deal with Betts, including this past offseason, with the Betts camp not even making a counter-proposal. The All-Star has instead been comfortable with the risks of going a year at a time in exchange for the reward that could come with patience.

And that reward seems to be coming into focus. Since turning down the eight-year offer, Betts has won the MVP and was central to a championship last year and just witnessed an offseason in which Manny Machado received $300 million, Bryce Harper $330 million and now Mike Trout $430 million.

So Betts very well may be looking at doubling that $200 million offer when he comes to free agency after the 2020 season. He was supposed to be the co-star in that market with Trout. But now with Trout on the brink of signing the largest contract in team sports history, Betts will either greatly outdo $200 million from the Red Sox to keep him from ever hitting free agency or have the top of the 2020-21 offseason market to himself.

The Red Sox, according to a source, made the eight-year offer following a 2017 season in which Betts finished sixth for AL MVP, but had a year significantly down from 2016, when he finished second. Following the rejection, Betts put together his best season in 2018 by leading the majors in batting (.346) and slugging (.640) while hitting 32 homers, stealing 30 bases and winning his third straight Gold Glove.

One reason Betts can incur risk is that by the time this season ends, he will already have made $32 million. That includes the $20 million he agreed on with the Red Sox for 2019, a record for a player in his second year of arbitration eligibility.