FORT MYERS, Fla. — Don’t expect AL MVP Mookie Betts to agree to a long-term contract with the Boston Red Sox before he can become a free agent in late 2020.
Despite Mike Trout’s $432 million, 12-year agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, Nolan Arenado’s $260 million, eight-year deal with the Colorado Rockies and Alex Bregman’s pending $100 million, six-year contract with the Houston Astros, Betts is content to remain on track for testing the market.
“That’s exactly what I expect,” he said Wednesday, the day after Trout’s deal became widely known. “Didn’t expect anything to happen until I’m a free agent. So, it’s just one of those things where you just got to go out and play. Can’t worry about the economics of the game right now. They have to take care of what they have to take care of. I’m going to take care of what I have to take care of. But the common thing is to win a World Series, and I think that’s definitely what we both want to do.”
Manny Machado joined the San Diego Padres as a free agent on a $300 million, 10-year deal while Bryce Harper signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $330 million over 13 seasons.
Betts, 26, one of the best players in baseball since making his major league debut in 2014, has a $20 million, one-year contract and is eligible for arbitration again next winter.
“I’m under no pressure to do anything,” Betts said. “It’s OK for two sides to disagree. That’s perfectly fine. It’s normal. I got two more years, going to make the best of them. Got to worry about Year 1 right here. I’m going out and doing my best to help the team win, and also next year. It’s just one of those things where it’s all right to disagree.”
Betts said he loves Boston and playing for the Red Sox. But he also has other things in mind.
“I’ve definitely grown to love going up north in the cold and all those type of things,” he said. “But it definitely doesn’t mean I want to sell myself short of my value.
“Everybody values different things — what do you value, where you’re going to be in five years.
“I definitely don’t pay that much attention to it that far in the future. I kind of worry about what’s going on now and just being treated fairly. I think that’s just kind of the main thing.
“The biggest thing in my mind is just to be treated fairly.”
Harper gets 1st Spring Training hit
Bryce Harper gets his first hit of spring training.
Harper lined a 97-mph fastball to center in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game against Detroit his first spring training hit with the Philadelphia Phillies after a 0-for-9 start.
Harper jokingly gestured toward the dugout that he wanted to keep the ball.
It was Harper’s 16th plate appearance over six exhibition games. Spencer Turnbull struck him out swinging in the first.
In his final at-bat, Harper walked against Reed Garrett to lead off the seventh. Harper has struck out six times and drawn five walks.
“Took great swings on pitches that he just missed and fouled back,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said after the 3-1 loss to the Tigers.
“And one swing, a foul ball (down the third-base side) that was a real near-miss. You could see with just a little bit better timing that ball is in the seats in left field. So, a lot to get excited about there with Bryce.”
Harper played seven innings in right field.
Kapler plans to hit Harper third regularly during the regular season.
“Right now I’m happy with Harper in the three-hole because I think it makes him feel most confident,” Kapler said. “For me, that trumps anything.”
Harper agreed to a $330 million, 13-year contract in late February, almost two weeks after spring training began. He missed one game after getting hit by a pitch in the ankle on Friday.
Also on Wednesday, Manny Machado, who also signed a huge free-agent contract with San Diego in the offseason, hit his first homer of the spring.
The two-run homer came in the first inning off Brandon Woodruff in the Padres’ 10-7 loss to Milwaukee. Machado is batting .176 this spring with four RBIs.
