Dombrowski: Red Sox relationship with Betts fine despite arbitration hearing

Boston Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski reassured there is no bad blood between the organization and star outfielder Mookie Betts, who was awarded a $10.5-million salary for the 2018 season by an arbitration panel on Tuesday.

"I think our relationship with him is fine," Dombrowski told Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald. "But I think it would have been either way. I called him and texted him, missed calls but texted back and forth. (Assistant general manager) Brian O’Halloran spoke to him. So, it's fine. He understands the process. So, we have a good relationship. He's a player that we love a great deal and want to keep a part of the organization for years to come."

The Red Sox made Betts an offer of $7.5 million, leading to the hearing. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, if a team and a player opt for an arbitration hearing, the panel must choose one of the two presented offers.

Betts set a record for the highest salary ever awarded to a first-year player through an arbitration hearing. Additionally, Betts fell just shy of Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant's record-setting $10.85 million deal, which now stands as the highest salary ever given to a player in his first year of arbitration (Bryant avoided a hearing).

In what was considered a "down" year for Betts, the young outfielder was still impressive. He managed to hit .264/.344/.459 (.803 OPS) with a career-high 10.8 percent walk rate, and 5.3 WAR in 153 games, despite battling a wrist injury for most of the second half of the season.