Rafael Devers, Red Sox Agree To Contract Extension
It happened. It actually happened. The Red Sox have botched this offseason. Xander Bogaerts is gone and the Bloom hasn’t done anything other than add some aging former Dodgers (Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Justin Turner). People were losing faith that they were going to find a way to lose Devers too. The Red Sox actually did the right thing and kept their star.
Jeff Passan of ESPN was the first to report the news:
I’m still in shock that the Red Sox did the right thing. It has been reported all offseason that it wasn’t looking good in terms of getting an extension done. From a team perspective, this deal has to be considered a home run. Paying Devers a hair of $30 million per year is a steal. The deal begins in 2024 while 2023 will cover the final season of arbitration. Devers, 26, is in the midst of his prime and this deal should take him right into the years where he starts becoming the next Big Papi at DH.
The fan base has to feel such a sigh of relief. After losing Mookie Betts and Xander, it was fair to start wondering if this ownership group was getting ready to sell. John Henry literally got booed during the Winter Classic. If Devers wasn’t going to be on this roster anymore, a full scale rebuild was going to be on the way.
This deal that Devers is about to sign is the largest contract in franchise history topping the previous mark by David Price. The Red Sox actually paid a homegrown star. That right there is a reason to celebrate.
