Mookie Betts said on September 9, 2026, that he was excited about Josue De Paula potentially joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, while noting that nothing was official.
“I'm excited if that's the case. I'm excited to see him,” Betts said. He noted that he had not really seen De Paula play outside of spring training, adding, “I haven't really seen him play, so outside of spring training.”
Betts said he spent time with De Paula during spring training and got to know him personally. “I got to spend a little time with him in spring train,” he stated.
Betts also recalled taking De Paula out to eat during spring training, saying he was “just going to eat, you know, take him out to eat” and later mentioning that he would “take him out to eat when I was in the outfield.”
Regarding the Dodgers' approach, Betts said, “the main thing is just uh getting a W.” He added that the team's defining strength was its ability to find ways to win “whether we're hot or we're not,” and acknowledged that winning by a large margin was nice, but “just winning the game is what's important.”