Sox, Betts Reach One Year, $20 Million Dollar Deal

BREAKING NEWS: The Red Sox and Mookie Betts have a agreed on a one-year record breaking contract for a second year arbitration eligible player. The deal is for $20 million dollars.

MLB Network insider John Heyman was the first to report the deal.

Betts and the Sox could not agree on an arbitration deal last year and an independent arbiter ruled on Betts' figure of $10.5 million.

The $9.5 million raise is also a record breaking amount from one arbitration year to another.

Betts can become a free agent after 2020 and perhaps this is a sign that a long term deal could be worked out.

Betts won the AL Most Valuable Player Award and Gold Glove Award after the Sox championship season.

No deals were reached ahead of the 1pm deadline for Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr.

NOTE: The Sox have reached deals with Blake Swihart, Steven Wright and Heath Hembree to avoid arbitration.