Mookie Betts wins Gold Glove

[Spudboy]

A spectacular season. I love this kid. Worth the price of admission. He is always making exciting plays.

 

Is he Gold Glove worthy?

[moonslav59]

Yes, but the award is a sham.

[VA Sox Fan]

Yay MOOKIE!!

[Dojji]

GG Mr. Bets, well deserved

[Kimmi]

Yes, but the award is a sham.

 

The awards have become much more respectable since they added the saber component several years ago. Glancing at the list of AL winners, there are a couple that I could dispute, but there's nothing really glaring, like Palmeiro or Jeter.

 

That said, my defensive award of choice is still the Fielding Bible Awards.

 

Mookie won that award as well as the Gold Glove. Pedroia also won the Fielding Bible Award. Remember that the Fielding Bible only gives out one award for both the AL and NL.

 

Mookie and Pedroia are definitely worthy of 'best defender' recognition.

[Kimmi]

GG Mr. Bets, well deserved

 

Will the MVP award follow?

[moonslav59]

The awards have become much more respectable since they added the saber component several years ago. Glancing at the list of AL winners, there are a couple that I could dispute, but there's nothing really glaring, like Palmeiro or Jeter.

 

That said, my defensive award of choice is still the Fielding Bible Awards.

 

Mookie won that award as well as the Gold Glove. Pedroia also won the Fielding Bible Award. Remember that the Fielding Bible only gives out one award for both the AL and NL.

 

Mookie and Pedroia are definitely worthy of 'best defender' recognition.

 

Yeah, it has gotten better. I guess I'll never get over the Palmeiro fiasco.

 

I'm a big fan of The Fielder's Bible too.

[moonslav59]

The Fielding Bible does only award one award per position, but they do provide their scoring tally, which is very telling.

 

HanRam got 2 points at 1B (13th).

Pedey scored 114 points- 10 ahead of Kinsler.

Shaw scored 22 points at 3B (9th).

Bogey got absolutely zero votes at SS. (17 did.) He came in 11th last year.

Brock Holt, yes Brock Holt, got 2 points in LF (16th)

JBJ got 82 points in CF (4th)

Betts got 116 in RF. Nobody had him below 2nd.

Leon got 3 points (21st)

 

 

[SoxHop]

He's just fun to watch play the game. Anyone that slides into home plate when there is no reason to do so gets my vote.

[mvp 78]

Will the MVP award follow?

 

Not a chance.

[Bellhorn04]

With Ortiz gone, Mookie is the franchise. They really need to lock him up before he's a free man.

[Kimmi]

The Fielding Bible does only award one award per position, but they do provide their scoring tally, which is very telling.

 

Agreed. I like looking at their voting.

[Kimmi]

Not a chance.

 

I don't think he'll win it, but there's certainly a chance.

[Spudboy]

With Ortiz gone, Mookie is the franchise. They really need to lock him up before he's a free man.

 

I agree.

 

Although I concede that I don't know all the ins and outs of arb, control and all that stuff.

 

He should be the center piece of their marketing as well.

[Kimmi]

With Ortiz gone, Mookie is the franchise. They really need to lock him up before he's a free man.

 

I would love to have Mookie locked up.

 

That said, there is a limit to how much I'd offer. Earlier in the year, someone mentioned 10 yr/$300 mil. Sorry, but I just can't see giving him that kind of deal, no matter how awesome he is.

[Kimmi]

Additional congrats to Mookie for also winning the Silver Slugger Award.

 

Congrats to Bogaerts and Papi for winning this award as well.

[Bellhorn04]

I would love to have Mookie locked up.

 

That said, there is a limit to how much I'd offer. Earlier in the year, someone mentioned 10 yr/$300 mil. Sorry, but I just can't see giving him that kind of deal, no matter how awesome he is.

 

Those numbers are too much, I certainly agree.

[Spudboy]

I would love to have Mookie locked up.

 

That said, there is a limit to how much I'd offer. Earlier in the year, someone mentioned 10 yr/$300 mil. Sorry, but I just can't see giving him that kind of deal, no matter how awesome he is.

 

No but 6/150 or so would be okay.

[S5Dewey]

No but 6/150 or so would be okay.

 

I'd do this in a heartbeat. $25M/year may be a bargain by 2023 but at the same time, for Mookie it purchases "insurance" again injuries, etc. for the five seasons until that time.

[a700hitter]

When would Betts hit FA?

[moonslav59]

Betts has 4 years of team control- one at pre-arb cost.

 

He may end up costing us $46-50M for those 4 years ($800K, $5M, $15M & $25M)

 

Signing him to $150M/6 is like giving him $50M in each of his last two seasons. Giving him $300M/10 is like giving him $250M/6. I'd rather give him $300M.

 

He might jump at a deal that gives him more money up front.

 

year 1: $5M (not $800K)

year 2: $10M (not $5-7M)

year 3: $18M (not $15M)

year 4: $25M (same)

5: $30M (not $35M)

6: $31M (not $35M)

7: $32M (not $35M)

8: $33M (not $35M)

9: $34M (not $35M)

10: $35M (same)

 

Basically, $255M/10.

 

He actually makes about $5M less on my offer, but he can make money with the upfront money by investing wisely and way outperform the other track.

[Bellhorn04]

I'm thinking maybe 8 years/180 million.

[Slasher9]

i will care about his gold glove when he wins a playoff game....

[cp176]

Man - you folks are throwing those figures around as though this team has a limitless budget or no budget at all. Come on.

[Eddy Ballgame]

Man - you folks are throwing those figures around as though this team has a limitless budget or no budget at all. Come on.

 

I think people are just throwing out opinions as to what it would cost to lock Betts up long term. I personally don't think that anything under an AAV of 30 mill gets the conversation started.

 

Bryce Harper is a free agent after 2018 and some people think that he'll get a 4-5 hundred million dollar deal. Would you trade Betts for Harper right now? I sure wouldn't and they were born 9 days apart.

[Slasher9]

hes not a FA until 2021.

a 5 or 6 year deal now would be silly IMO. after the '19 season is the time to lock down a 6 year deal.

[Eddy Ballgame]

hes not a FA until 2021.

a 5 or 6 year deal now would be silly IMO. after the '19 season is the time to lock down a 6 year deal.

 

The idea is to give him significantly more money than he'll get over the next four years in exchange for being able to lock him up long term. If I'm the Sox, I don't want to wait until Harper sets a crazy precedent after 2018.

[Bellhorn04]

I think people are just throwing out opinions as to what it would cost to lock Betts up long term. I personally don't think that anything under an AAV of 30 mill gets the conversation started.

 

As moonslav indicated, we basically have him for the next 4 years for about 50 million total, so a 10 year 300 million deal would in effect be an extension of 6 years at about 42 million a year. Plus we assume all the risk of him getting injured (and he just had knee surgery). If terms like that are the best we can do, it's just not feasible.

 

You have to wonder, too, at what point the MLB rate of inflation starts to slow down a bit.

[moonslav59]

One downside to locking him up now is the luxury tax implications. If we pay him $30M a year and all of it is taxed, it's like paying him $45M a year!

[moonslav59]

As moonslav indicated, we basically have him for the next 4 years for about 50 million total, so a 10 year 300 million deal would in effect be an extension of 6 years at about 42 million a year. Plus we assume all the risk of him getting injured (and he just had knee surgery). If terms like that are the best we can do, it's just not feasible.

 

You have to wonder, too, at what point the MLB rate of inflation starts to slow down a bit.

 

That's another big worry.

 

I think, if you project $35M x 6 after his contract runs out and add the $50 estimated arb costs, it comes to about $260M/10, but with more money up front, which to me is huge for a guy making $575K vs $5M early on. Invest the money wisely. Buy a house or two, and you'll be much better off later and also in the near future.

 

Plus, the $26M luxury tax might hurt now, but it could be very nice 6-10 years from now.