Allen Lieu
Former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was on the Petros and Money Show on AM570 yesterday, and he spoke about the newly locked up Mookie Betts, who signed a 12-year, $365 million deal to stay with the Dodgers. “This was a great moment for the franchise”. Colletti spoke of Mookie in very high regard, as did the front office, referring to Betts as both “a great man and a great player”. Colletti served as the Dodgers general manager from 2005 to 2014. Although Colletti has been out of the Dodgers Front Office for six years now, during his tenure, he laid the foundation for their current success. Many players currently making an impact including Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, and Corey Seager were drafted by Colletti. Although it was Andrew Friedman who negotiated Mookie’s deal, Colletti’s success put him in the position to do so.
“You’re talking about a generational player, a tremendous human being, somebody who will represent the franchise, the city, to the utmost and so when you have the chance to do that you got to take that chance”
Ned Colletti talking about Mookie Betts
The former GM was asked what he believed motivated the LA Front Office to sign Mookie long term, opposed to prior free agents such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, “It’s just one man’s opinion, but I think he’s (Mookie) is a better player than Machado and a better player than Bryce Harper… [I’ll] take Mookie over Manny and Bryce always”.
The full interview with Colletti can be found on AM570’s podcast.
