A Rafael Devers Extension Looks Unlikely
Blame whoever you want. Chaim Bloom, the ownership, Allah, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the Red Sox are chucking the fans a middle finger and they do not care. Losing Mookie Betts hurt but it was sorta understandable. Not getting an extension done with Xander Bogaerts is BS and we’re all pissed. If the Red Sox screw up losing Rafael Devers while he’s in the midst of his prime at age 26, fans will riot.
That is exactly what appears to be on the verge of happening. In a recent column by Joon Lee of ESPN, he reports that the Sox and Devers remain VERY far apart:
“Executives around the sport see the same pattern emerging with Red Sox star third baseman Rafael Devers, who will be 26 at the start of the 2023 season, his last before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024. According to multiple league sources, the Red Sox and Devers are “galaxies apart” in their contract negotiations. The current expectation from Devers and his camp is that the third baseman will be a free agent at the end of 2023, given the current state of contract talks.”
Bloom said Boston will make every effort to keep Devers.
“We will probably, I think, go beyond reason to try to get this done,” Bloom said. “Hopefully we can get this done. There are always going to be limitations, like people can just put something plain out of reach. Some people love to bet on themselves and I hope he hits 63 homers if he does that.”
I don’t think this ownership group gets it. IF the Red Sox lose Rafael Devers, the fans will riot. It will be a situation that pushes them to sell the team. It’s that serious.
At this point, fans shouldn’t give a single flying you know what about what Chaim Bloom has to say. He should be fired immediately. My favorite part of that quote is when he says “go beyond reason” as if fans care about his charting metrics that determine what a player is worth. Nobody should have faith in what Bloom has to say because we just heard it over and over again with Bogaerts. Watch this video now and tell me it doesn’t ring a different tune.
It’s the same story over and over again. Nothing they ever do is ever surprising. The only thing the Sox have nailed this offseason is becoming a retirement home for old Dodger players (Chris Martin, Kenley Jansen, and Justin Turner). Maybe Boston will find a way to keep Rafael Devers but nobody should have any faith at this point.
