Friedman: Process trumps outcome in event Betts never plays for Dodgers

When Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association reportedly agreed to a framework surrounding the 2020 season, it was decided players would still accrue service time in the event the campaign is shortened or canceled.

This means players like Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts will still enter free agency this winter even if he doesn't play a single game in Dodger blue.

Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said Thursday this outcome can't be allowed to impact his evaluation of future transactions because it's such an extreme occurrence.

"I’m sure we will have plenty of time to go into that and talk through that," Friedman said before the agreement was announced, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. "But we’ve talked about this a lot in the past - of our mindset being much more focused on the process than the outcome. We did not factor in a global pandemic into our thought process. And so we will determine whether or not we should have or not - obviously, I’m joking.

"I’m not even focused on that right now. I can’t wait until I am and able to think through things in those terms. But I think, having perspective right now and doing what we can with where we are at this moment is what’s most important and obviously we’ll have a lot of time to get into that hopefully, as we get going and playing."

Betts was acquired from the Boston Red Sox alongside left-hander David Price in February in a trade that sent outfielder Alex Verdugo and infield prospects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong the other direction.

No matter how long the upcoming season is, Betts will enter free agency for the first time unless the Dodgers ink him to an extension. Los Angeles will have the option of extending the former AL MVP a qualifying offer, which would yield a compensatory draft pick if he signs elsewhere.