Mookie Betts Has Message for MLB Fans Envious of Dodgers’ Dominant Offseason

The Los Angeles slugger addressed those annoyed with the Dodgers acquiring multiple stars.

If there was a 10-run rule on an MLB offseason, it would’ve been enforced on the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter.

The Dodgers signed Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and traded for right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow while the other 29 MLB teams appeared to just watch from the dugout.

So, what is Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts’s message to those 29 other fan bases?

“I don’t know what you want us to do,” Betts said Friday on AM 570 L.A. Sports. “When you’re blessed with an ability, why would you not use that?”

The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a record 10-year, $700 million contract, a deal that includes deferred money but also would be a higher annual salary than several MLB teams’ payrolls. Los Angeles has spent over $1 billion in free agency this winter, which at one point was more than the rest of the other 29 MLB teams combined.

“Y’all tell us what you want us to do,” Betts said. “You want us to not try to win? Well, that’s the whole point of the game, right? 

“[If we said], ’Sorry for trying guys. We won’t do that again.’ That doesn’t make sense,” Betts said.

The Dodgers might have carved themselves out as villains for the upcoming 2024 season. But every team had a chance to make a big swing this offseason, and only a handful attempted to do so. 

As the offseason continues, outfielder Cody Bellinger, infielder Matt Chapman and pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain on the open market. One of the other 29 teams still have a chance to make a big move.