The Boston Red Sox and 3B Rafael Devers have reportedly agreed to terms on a 1-year, $17.5 million contract to avoid arbitration, per Jeff Passan. Red Sox fans may be disappointed to learn this wasn't news of a long-term extension for Devers. However, Passan provided an encouraging update on potential Red Sox-Rafael Devers extension talks.
“This does not stop the sides from reaching a long-term contract extension. The fact that the sides got this deal done shows discussions,” Passan wrote on Twitter.
It should be noted that a recent report suggested that Devers and Boston were not close to agreeing on a long-term contract. Nevertheless, there is still a chance for a deal to come to fruition ahead of Opening Day.
Chaim Bloom recently commented on how Xander Bogaerts' free agency departure will impact Rafael Devers.
“I’ve said it, and I know we haven’t demonstrated this to the degree that we’ve hoped to, but we believe in the Red Sox building around homegrown talent,” Bloom said. “You want to do it in the right way. It’s certainly something we want to do as often as we can. Raffy (Devers), for sure, is somebody we want to build around. I don’t know that this situation (Bogaerts leaving) really changes that one way or the other.”
The Red Sox have lost stars such as Bogaerts and Mookie Betts in recent years. Although, they decided to trade Betts due to his looming free agency. And they could be forced into a similar situation with Devers if a long-term extension fails to come to fruition.