Red Sox fans have been pining for the club to lock up star third baseman Rafael Devers to a well-deserved extension. But talks are off to a rocky start.
Signing Trevor Story got Boston Red Sox fans excited, especially given the need for a bat after the departures of Kyle Schwarber and Hunter Renfroe in free agency this offseason. However, the looming shadow over the club for fans has been the future of star third baseman Rafael Devers.
The 25-year-old slugger that put 38 home runs over the wall last season to go with 113 RBIs for Boston has more than earned a new deal from the organization. And fans are more than willing for that to happen as the youngster has proven he can be a big-league power hitter and could only be scratching the surface of his talent at his age.
Yet, there has been little movement on the extension front. Then, the day before MLB Opening Day, Red Sox fans got some unfortunate news about a possible deal.
According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, Boston offered Devers an extension that the third baseman turned down because it was far too low in relation to the type of money he’s looking for. Furthermore, he plans to play out the 2022 season in hopes of raising his value.
SOURCE: The #RedSox offered Rafael Devers a contract extension but the player rejected because it was lower than he is willing to consider. Devers will focus now on his 2022 season looking to further increase his market value.@z101digital @ZDeportes
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 6, 2022
Rafael Devers turns down Red Sox extension offer
How Chaim Bloom, John Henry and the rest of the Red Sox front office could look at a player in Devers’ position and think that low-balling him would be a good idea is beyond reason.
This is a 25-year-old player who has gotten better with each season since he made his full-season debut in 2018 and most recently slashed .279/.352/.538 for the club this past season while being an absolutely fearsome lefty power bat. On top of that, he’s only looked better in the spring leading up to this season, putting six balls over the fence and appearing on pace for a monster 2022 campaign.
By all logic, Devers should be worth a monster extension, even with the knocks on his defense and glove at third base. The fact that the Red Sox came in with such a low offer that it was immediately shot down is not a good thing. With that said, however, if he continues his upward trajectory and play from spring training, Boston will have no choice but to hand Devers a blank check come next offseason.