Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has agreed to an 11-year extension worth up to $331 million.
BREAKING: Star third baseman Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing an 11-year, $331 million contract, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN.
The deal is not done. The physical process hasn’t started. But in the end, Devers is expected to remain in Boston.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 4, 2023
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal has not been finalized, however, as the physical process has not started yet. The expectation would be that Devers will be in Boston for the remainder of his career.
This extension has been well overdue and much needed for the Red Sox. After the loss of shortstop Xander Bogearts to the San Diego Padres, the Red Sox off-season has looked bleak after they missed the postseason this past year. Signing Devers to a major extension is just what Boston needed to do to try to be competitive in the AL East.
Devers’ extension kicks in next season as he just signed an arbitration deal worth up to $17 million. He will be making close to over $30 million per season. Rightfully so, Devers has been one of the better third baseman’s not only in the AL East, but also the MLB. Devers has a career .283 batting average and a career .854 OPS (On Base Plus Slugging).
He first came onto the MLB scene in 2016 at 20 years old. He only appeared in 58 games. Devers had srguably his best seasons in 2019 and 2021. In each of those years, Devers was top 12 in MVP voting. In 2019, Devers led all MLB players in doubles and total bases. Surprisingly, Devers made his first All-Star appearance in 2021.
Coming into his 7th season with the Red Sox, he’ll look to build off a somewhat quiet season for his standards. Last season Devers, only had 27 home runs and 87 RBIs.
The Boston Red Sox would like to build of a disappointing year as they finished last in the AL East. The AL East has been getting better and better each season with the bottom-dweller Baltimore Orioles not being last in the division. Signing Rafael Devers to an extension gives Red Sox fans hope for better seasons in the future.
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