Mookie Betts on Reported $365M Dodgers Contract: 'I'm Here to Win Some Rings'

Mookie Betts had $365 million new reasons to stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers beyond the 2020 season. What made him put pen to paper was his cabal of All-Star teammates.

"I'm here to win some rings," Betts said Wednesday in a meeting with reporters announcing the contract.

Betts signed a 12-year contract extension that runs through the 2032 season, adding $365 million to the one year and $27 million remaining on his deal. The 2018 AL MVP will receive a $10 million pro rata salary in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the total cash value of the deal to $375 million.

"The market wasn't what I was worried about. Just fair value. That's been the main thing for my whole career," Betts said.

While the pandemic has limited the amount of time he's been able to spend with teammates since an offseason trade from Boston, Betts said he already "loves" everything about Los Angeles. The Dodgers acquired Betts and David Price from the Red Sox in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs in February.

Dodgers general manager Andrew Friedman said the team began discussing an extension with Betts in March but halted while MLB was assessing how to handle the ongoing pandemic. 

Betts would not answer when asked whether he would have taken a similar offer from the Red Sox, who felt compelled to trade their best player amid failed negotiations.

The Dodgers will enter the shortened 2020 season as heavy favorites to win the NL pennant for the third time in four seasons. Caesars Palace lists them as +350 co-favorites (bet $100 to win $350) with the New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Betts won his first World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.