To paraphrase Christopher Nolan’s epic film The Dark Knight, you either re-sign as a hero or you hold out long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s the unenviable spot that Mookie Betts finds himself in the wake of reports that he turned down a lucrative contract extension from the Boston Red Sox.
The backlash against Betts began when WEEI’s Lou Merloni revealed that the Red Sox offered their superstar a 10-year, $300 million deal prior to last season. The exact timing of the offer is unclear but it was on the table during an offseason when Manny Machado and Bryce Harper signed similar deals.