At the time the Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts, there was a lot of conversation as to who was the best player in baseball – Mike Trout or Mookie Betts? Sadly for both players, we do not hear that much anymore as both have slipped… and it does not appear that either player will continue to get better as Trout is 31 and Mookie is 30. Both ended the 2022 season with a .340 OB% – that’s pretty good but not superstar-esque. Mike Trout hit .283 with a .999 OPS, which is very much a superstar, and his OPS+ was 178, while Mookie OPS’ed .873 with an OPS+ of just 136. In straight-up comparisons between the two players, Mike Trout is light-years ahead of Mookie Betts. Trout hit 40 HR while Mookie hit 35.
Don’t get me wrong, Mookie is a great player, but realize that the Dodgers have to pay him this way for this long:
- 2023 – $25.4 Million
- 2024 – $30.4 Million
- 2025 – $30.4 Million
- 2026 – $30.4 Million
- 2027 – $30.4 Million
- 2028 – $35.4 Million
- 2029 – $36.4 Million
- 2030 – $35.4 Million
- 2031 – $32.9 Million
- 3032 – $32.9 Million
For the mathematically challenged, that is just about $320 Million Dollars that the Dodgers owe Mookie Betts over the next ten years. YIKES! As I said when the trade was made, “This is not going to end well.” Again, I am not trying to “dis” Mookie, but what I just said are facts. Mookie plays a high level of defense, and that helps his WAR, but insofar as being a “superstar,” Freddie Freeman is the Dodger closest to Mike Trout in hitting as his OPS+ was 152 and his OB% was .918. Them’s superstar stats!
For his career, Mookie has hit .292 against RHP and .295 against LHP. In 2022, Mookie hit .308 against LHP (only 156 ABs), but he hit only .255 against RHP, and therein lies the problem. Mookie was also very “streaky” in his play. Let’s look at his splits:
- March/April – .230
- May – .342
- June – .193
- July .248
- August – . 330
- September – .222
- Playoffs – .143
If you have any questions as to who did not hit in the playoffs, start with Mookie Betts. Cody Bellinger was benched for not hitting in the playoffs, but the truth is, Mookie Betts had twice as many ABs and hit .143… the same as Cody! When Mookie is hot, he can carry the team, but more often than not, he is not hot.. at least lately.
2023 is a new season. The shift is gone (Mookie does pull the ball a lot), so that should help him. The bases are bigger (that should help the fast guys). The pitchers have to throw the ball quicker (that should help everyone). 2023 is the year Mookie has to go back to being a Superstar. Mookie also needs to voluntarily go to the #2 spot in the batting order so as to let Gavin Lux take over that spot (if he can handle it – I think he can).
Mookie, you need to step up and show the Boys in Blue how to do it! Maybe even get more vocal. The Dodger will go as far this year as Mookie and the Youngsters take them. Take the challenge, Mookie! This has to be YOUR team! Seize it! Be the Superstar that you are and the leader you were meant to be. That’s all! Just do it!
I want to see Mookie play with the emotion he had in this Blog’s Opening Photo! I want to see that Superstar again!
Discussion (36)
Disagree, not disagreeable
’s a long-term play for the Dodgers, as Feyereisen is still controllable through the 2026 season via arbitration. The Rays would surely have loved to keep Feyereisen until this spring, when they could place him on the 60-day injured list and free up his 40-man roster spot. However, Tampa Bay also has righties Shane Baz and Andrew Kittredge recovering from Tommy John surgery and in need of 60-day IL spots when camp opens. As such, carrying all three until Spring Training would’ve effectively amounted to Tampa Bay operating with a 37-man roster instead of a 40-man roster for the balance of the offseason.
Feyereisen’s DFA raised plenty of eyebrows yesterday, as the right-hander rattled off 24 1/3 scoreless innings for the Rays in 2022 before being shelved by the shoulder injury that eventually led to the recent operation to repair both his right rotator cuff and labrum. A year prior, Feyereisen had turned in 56 innings of 2.73 ERA ball, albeit with a bloated 14.1% walk rate that created some skepticism about his ability to sustain that pace.
The now-29-year-old righty (30 in February) not only improved his command in 2022 but sent his walk rate plummeting to 5.8% — a mark that’s leaps and bounds better than league average. All told, Feyereisen has 89 2/3 innings of experience at the big league level and has pitched to a 2.31 ERA with a 23.8% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. However, if he can sustain any of the 2022 strides he made in terms of strikeout rate (29.1%) or walk rate, he has the potential to be a vital late-inning arm for the Dodgers for three-plus seasons. And, because he’s unlikely to pitch much this season, his first trip through the arbitration process next winter shouldn’t produce a particularly large salary.
This reads really well – taken from mlb trade rumours
AF at it again: Dodgers To Acquire J.P. Feyereisen from TB… and oh, he will miss 2023.
He gave up lefty Jeff Belge. THis is obviously a move for the future.
OK, lose your collective minds!
If the Dodgers plan is to stay under the CBT this year, I have no problem with that. The excuse of any financial burden that the Bauer court decision may cost I feel is BS. The Dodgers and Bauer entered into a contract. Even though the commissioner suspended Bauer, I would think the Dodgers would put money aside or may be required to put money aside until the court renders a decision.
I see Swanson at 5-Year/$125 Million.
Tell me that Correa is worth almost three times that!
Farhan needs a dose of Dumbass Vaccine.
What a dope-fiend move.
Who says the madness goes away next year? Maybe this is the price of doing business going forward! Then AF takes the Dodgers back to being Tampa Bay? Wait to see what AF pays Ohtani next year!
i think Mookie and Freddie Freman job is not stepping up but rather continue stellar day to day performance to give stability to the team. I am perfectly fine with a season much or less the same as last season.
If you want to put pressure to step up that will be Will Smith and in a lesser degree Gavin Lux.
As Watford said, This may help the Giants “short term.”
I find it remarkable that smart people like Farhan can get “hoodwinked” by Scott Boreass…
and then there was Dansby!
I also wonder in Freidman has been “tipped off” somehow (through back channels) that Bauer is being re-instated.
Correa.. Giants. 13 years. $350m
I, for one, welcome this signing. It has to do with continuity of distain. Despite a one year respite in Minnesota; I have held few individuals in the sport with such ill-will.
Yes. Many Dodger fans called for him to come to LA. I said, no!
He is now where he belongs.
May god have mercy on his sole.
Never mind.
That was sold in 2017.
May god have whatever mercy he sees fit in what is left of whatever a 2017 Astro has remaining.
Giants got the player they deserve.
I think this off season will prove to be the most pivotal moment in recent Dodger history.
By watching this madness unfold, it might mean short term hurt, but it will ultimately bring longer term success.
Utter madness going on.
We’re gonna have a lot of 40 year old players in around 10-15 years.
Seriously, how do you sign a guy, with a bad back, that hasn’t played 150 games in a season into his 40’s?
This is a really crazy offseason.
Correa to SF. 13/350
Wait–what’s wrong with Mookie?
Going to go see Devotion tonight. True story about Naval aviation during the Korean War.
Curt Simmons passed away at age 93. Saw him pitch when he was with the Phillies. RIP.
I hear people say the Dodgers missed out on Stripling.
That is actually very funny.
Maybe they could use him as the team’s Stockbroker because he would be about the 22nd-best pitcher on the roster.
Just because he had a few good games and was once a Dodger is no reason to sign a guy who is simply a journeyman.
They are Silly!
Maybe TAnderson don’t want to live in Toronto the next 3 years and prefer staying in California.
Ross Stripling signed by the Giants. FA options for SP and within the Dodgers budget are getting slimmer and slimmer each passing day.
Anybody feel like the Dodgers might try to work out a deal for Reynolds and Bednar? It just feels too slow for something not to happen. Ticket holders won’t be happy with just Shelby Miller and Jayson Heyward after losing so many players. Feels like dumpster diving.
I agree that Dodgers should have signed Anderson at $13 mill per year, especially after extending the QO at $19.6 million.
However, Tyler and his agent had to make an early decision to decline the QO before free agent market exploded. Tyler will be fine with $39 million guaranteed.
And while Anderson was better than Bassitt in 2022, it was by far a career year for Tyler. Whereas Bassitt has been a consistently good starter for 5 years in a row.
But overall I totally agree that Anderson signing is better than Bassitt deal for the teams.
Tyler Anderson should fire his agent for malpractice. Lets compare Anderson who signed a three-year $39 million contract with the Angels and Chris Bassitt who signed a three-year $63 million contract with the Blue Jays:
Bassitt 33.9 years of age with 6.130 years of MLB service time:
46 wins and 34 losses, 123 games started, 737.1 innings pitched, 8.19 K/9, 2.78 BB/9, .92 HR/9, 3.45 ERA .
Anderson 32.11 years of age with 7.065 years of MLB service time:
44 wins and 43 losses, 141 games started, 802.1 innings pitched, 7.63 K/9, 2.48 BB/9, 1.26 HR/9, 4.16 ERA
Bassitt received and additional $8 million annually when it appears he and Taylor are virtually the same pitcher. If I was Anderson I would terminate his agent ASAP. Anderson is represented by GSE Worldwide and Bassitt is represented by Meister Sports Management.
How could Anderson’s agents get it so wrong and at that price why didn’t AF sign Tyler?
Here’s my Blog for the Day:
https://www.uswatersystems.com/blog/the-american-water-crisis-2022-in-review
Want Bryan Reynolds?
1. Bobby Miller
2. Diego Catraya
OK, I have one for you:
The Dodgers trade Andy Pages, Eddys Leonard, Jacob Amaya, Ryan Pepiot, and Mike Busch to Cincinnati for Elly De La Cruz. He’s at least a year away, but he’s a star in the making. The Reds get young, controllable prospects, while the Dodgers get their SS of the future.
1. The Braves got an All-Star Caliber Catcher. d’Aranud must be the DH and part-time catcher now. The Braves gave up 6 prospects, including 2 of their TOP 30 . Mueller was their #1 and they gave him up, but in LA’s systems he would have a hard time being in the TOP 10.
2. JT is not going to the Marlins… unless he is going to renounce California.
Huge 3 way deal swung by the Braves, A’s and Brewers. Braves get Murphy, Contreras goes to Milwaukee. And a bunch of kids to the A’s. Marlins according to MLBTR have made JT an offer and it is said to be very competitive.
We’re complaining about Mookie and defending a guy who was making almost 20 mil and couldn’t find the Mendoza line with gps for 2 years! And regarding our prospects Vargas could be good and Busch and Outman are probably average mlb players. But then again who thought Smith would become one of the top catchers in the game 4 years ago? But I love our young pitching and expect big things from them!
We are complaining about a guy who made first team all mlb team this year! Now if you want to complain about a guy not living up to his contract look to Rendon and anyone else the Angels have signed outside of Trout. And cmon Mark, all these 10+ year contracts aren’t going to end well! Even Trout’s! Mookie’s given us one great year and a championship, one good year and one blah year. I’m satisfied so far
Digers could have this as a fixture of young and old vets to teach them the ropes. Outfield could be Jason heyward outman Betts and infield could have Vargas Swanson Lux Freeman Smith and in the bench Muncy Taylor McCutchen Barnes Busch Thompson. That’s what I see them doing then going with three young guys as starters and oh yes get Rodon to sure up the rotation why Buehler is out this year.
I’ve been having trouble writing comments on J.Dominique’s blog, here are a few who can, so I’m asking for your help in getting this message to Jeff:
“Jeff, you don’t need to tell us every day that the Dodgers don’t have elite rookies,” to paraphrase Mark: even Ray Charles can see that!!!
Review his writings and you will realize how many times he repeats that the Dodgers do not have elite rookies, we all know that, we are not assholes, enough of that, stop that!!!
Mark
You keep projecting Lux at leadoff and Mookie hitting second. It would make more sense to reverse that so if Mookie gets on leading off then it opens up the hole on the right side for the left hand hitting Lux.
Mookie should be more vocal. He has been in the majors long enough to assume that leadership role. If not Mookie, Freddie then. Freeman is respected and one helluva ball player. I look at the rookies this way, I am not expecting much, so if they do perform well, I will be mildly surprised, if they tank, I won’t be disappointed.
It’s nice that SF signed Sean Manaea, as the Dodgers love to take Batting Practice off him!
He was only tied for the 8th best player in MLB last year (by fWAR)
When Mookie is right he plays with a kid’s energy and passion. He has fun playing the game. When he’s horseshit, he stews and beats himself up. I’d like to see his emotional swings level out and not be so hard on himself.
100++++% agree with this piece. Mookie is very good but we need him to be great. Paid like a superstar now is time to produce like one. If the Dodgers are indeed going to have 3 rookies play in the starting line-up they will need Mookie and FF to be the run producers along with Max and others.
Without Mookie, we don’t win in 2020 for me that’s worth the contract by itself.
Yes Seags was the MVP but they dont win without what Mookie did not only at the plate but in the field and the basepaths….
He will have play well in 23.