Mookie Betts and his agents are almost certainly talking with the Red Sox this week — if only because Friday is the deadline by which both sides need to exchange arbitration figures.



Betts is entering his third and final year of arbitration and is expected to break the final-year arbitration record of $26 million, set by Nolan Arenado with the Rockies last winter. Betts is projected to earn $27 million to $28 million.



If the Red Sox and Betts don’t reach an agreement outside of arbitration, they’ll head to an arbitration hearing for the second time in the last three years. Betts won his case two years ago, earning $10.5 million when the Red Sox offered $7.5 million. The two sides came to an agreement of $20 million last winter to avoid a hearing.



All of this is happening with a gigantic elephant in the room: Will Betts walk into free agency at the end of the year? Will the Red Sox make one last-ditch effort to sign him to an extension? Will...