When the Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, they had three up-and-coming stars: Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers.
The first one wanted to be extended, and when it became evident the Red Sox weren’t going to pay him, they traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in early 2020.
The second one, Bogaerts, used an opt-out clause available on the extension he signed before 2019 and ended up entering the market.
When it appeared the Red Sox were relatively close to a deal, the San Diego Padres offered $280 million and won the bidding.
Losing Devers, who becomes a free agent after next season, would be a knockout blow for the Red Sox organization.
Fans, already depressed after Bogaerts signed elsewhere and because the main return from the Betts deal, Jeter Downs, was designated for assignment, won’t be able to stomach losing Devers next year.
Extending Devers Is An Obligation For The Red Sox’s Front Office
That’s why the front office is already working on an extension with him.
The Red Sox are 'working hard' to extend Rafael Devers, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/jr4kLFxocf
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 16, 2022
For Boston, it is imperative to get something done before the regular season starts.
Players usually don’t like to negotiate in-season, and if he reaches free agency, he is as good as gone.
The time to prepare an extension for Devers, who has a cool .283/.342/.512 career line with a solid 123 wRC+ (100 is league-average), is now.
The Red Sox owe it to their fans to step up and extend their man: they won’t be able to justify not doing it when they failed to do it with Betts and Bogaerts.
They still have a few weeks, but it’s now their number one priority, as it should be.
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