Spring Training is six days away, and Mookie Betts just dropped the best news Dodger fans could hope for. He’s playing shortstop for the rest of his career. Not just this year, not “we’ll see how it goes,” but the entire seven years remaining on his contract.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m 100 percent sure I’ll be able to,” Betts answered when asked about finishing his career at short. “I keep my body in really good shape, so as I age, the argument is you’ll slow down, or whatever, but no, I’ll be fine,” he added.
(Wally Skalij)
Translation:
The Dodgers just solved their biggest potential roster hole without spending a dime or trading a single prospect. The numbers don’t lie. Let’s talk about what Mookie actually did at shortstop in 2025. This wasn’t some charity case where the Dodgers threw a future Hall of Famer at a premium position and hoped for the best, Betts was legitimately elite:
- 17 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) – Top-5 in MLB
- 6 Outs Above Average (OAA) – 92nd percentile
- Gold Glove finalist (finished second to 23-year-old St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn)
For context, that OAA number puts him ahead of guys who’ve been playing shortstop their entire lives; and he did it in his first full season at the position after spending most of his career in the outfield.
Why this matters more than you think:
- Without Mookie at short, the Dodgers would have a black hole at the most
important defensive position on the field. - Miguel Rojas will be 37 on February 24 and on a one-year deal.
- Finding an elite shortstop costs would either cost the Dodgers $200M+ in free agency (see: Corey Seager, Trea Turner).
- Multiple top prospects in a trade. The Dodgers got out of that bind because Mookie Betts is one of the most gifted athletes in baseball history and decided he wanted to be a shortstop. That’s absurd roster-construction luck that Andrew Friedman will never get credit for because it fell into his lap.
- The Age Question: Betts turns 33 this October. Can he really stay at shortstop through age
- 40? Historically, no. But Mookie isn’t a normal shortstop. He’s a former Gold Glove outfielder with elite athleticism who’s obsessive about conditioning and coming into the position in his 30s, not burning out at it.
What’s Next:
- Mookie wants that Gold Glove this year. If he wins it, that would be his seventh Gold Glove across three different positions (RF, 2B, SS). Only a handful of players in history have that kind of defensive versatility.
The Dodgers infield for the next seven years:
- SS: Mookie Betts
- 2B: Hyeseong Kim
- 3B: Max Muncy
- 1B: Freddie Freeman
Conclusion:
- Spring Training starts February 13. The Dodgers (will) “…be fine.”
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