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Jeff Passan
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Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” -
Joon Lee
third baseman Raphael Devers and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing an 11-year, $331 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN, a deal that will keep the 26-year-old star from reaching free agency this year and is the longest guaranteed and the largest ever given by the franchise.
The deal, which is expected to be signed Wednesday night and would be the largest ever for a third baseman, comes amid a tough winter for the Red Sox, who lost the longtime shortstop. Xander Bogaerts to San Diego in free agency nearly three years after trading the star right fielder Mookie Bets to Los Angeles Dodgers. Offering Devers a deal far longer than Manny Ramirez’s eight-year deal and more than 50% bigger than David Price’s $217 million deal was enough to get the two-time All-Star to agree to out the Red Sox from last place in the American League East and back to contention.
The contract will start in 2023 and run until the 2033 season, sources said. The one-year, $17.5 million contract Devers signed earlier in the week to avoid arbitration will be replaced with the long-term deal.
Devers made his Boston debut at age 20 in 2017 and quickly illustrated why he loved his bat so much. His left-hand swing was perfectly suited to Fenway Park, with doubles against the green monster and home runs to right field. Devers’ insight only grew. In 2022, he hit .295/.358/.521 with 27 home runs, 88 RBIs and career-best OPS+.
It was similar to his 2021 season, in which Devers hit 38 home runs, and 2019, when he led the major leagues with 359 total goals at age 22. Consistency made them the ideal candidate to stay long-term with the losses of Bogaerts and Betts, whose stability was one of their defining characteristics. Early negotiations over a deal bore no fruit, with Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Devers’ agent, Rep. 1’s Nelson Montes de Oca, wide apart in their ratings.
It’s clear that the backlash from losing Bogaerts and Betts — and just losing — had an effect on the deal being struck. But on Monday, as Fenway Park hosted the majestic Winter Classic, fans booed Red Sox owner John Henry, proof of the city’s sentiment towards the owner under whom the team broke its 86-year drought in the World Series before winning three more championships.
See Bogaerts walking with an offer of tens of millions of dollars short, especially with the Red Sox nominated for an assignment Throw Downs, the main prospect returns to the Betts case, only a few days later. Bogaerts, 30, was, like Devers, a local star: five Silver Sluggers, four All-Star appearances and a pair of World Series rings. The notion of a long-term left side of the infield with him and Devers seemed natural to a Red Sox fan base accepting the bottom spot two of the last three seasons, sandwiched around an ALCS appearance.
When Bogaerts left, attention naturally turned to Devers, who benefited greatly from the mega-bids given out this winter. Judge Aaron The list was topped by $360 million from the New York Yankees. Trea Turner got $300 million from philadelphia cream, Bogaerts $280 million from the Padres. And Carlos Correa He agreed to a pair of deals worth more than $300 million, though medical frailties have his status in limbo.
Beyond Bogaerts this winter, heroes of the World Series Nathan Eovaldi left for the Texas Rangers, and the Red Sox failed to sign several free agent targets. Instead, the Red Sox redistributed resources across the roster by adding Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida on a five-year, $90 million contract from relievers. Kenley Jansen (two years, $32 million) and Chris Martin (two years, $17 million), third baseman Justin Turner in two years for 21 million dollars and starter Corey Cluber at one year and $10 million.
Devers will be the cornerstone of the roster and the face of the franchise for the Red Sox’s new era. Although the third baseman has improved defensively over the course of his career, he could potentially move to first base or designated hitter later on. But as long as his swing and production are even a facsimile of what he’s done in his young career, it doesn’t matter what position he’s in.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.
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