Red Sox and Rafael Devers aren’t even close on latest contract offer

The Boston Red Sox continue to botch contract negotiations with Rafael Devers, and they aren’t even close to meeting what Devers is asking for.

The Boston Red Sox failed to lock down Xander Bogaerts when they had the chance, and now their last chance at keeping a home-grown star around might be investing in Rafael Devers.

They’ve reportedly offered him roughly $220 million, but Devers is looking for $300 million. Though it’s a lot of money, Boston could make it happen, and they should.

They’re already most likely losing Bogaerts. They offered him a four-year $90 million extension in April (according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post), and Bogaerts rightfully turned it down. The contract, essentially, was worth over $11 million less than Carlos Correa’s.

While Correa is a better shortstop, Bogaerts is still one of the best in the league and such a gap between the earnings for the two is drastic. Bogaerts deserves to be paid as one of the most valuable shortstops in MLB because he is.

Luckily, Devers has been just as reliable as Bogaerts, but the Red Sox can’t afford to continue making such big mistakes. They need to give Devers what he’s asking for before he walks, too.

Though there’s no confirmation, the Red Sox could be putting a strain on their relationship with Devers by mistreating Bogaerts. The two have a bond, and Devers himself spoke out, saying they’re ‘family’ and he ‘hopes they sign both [of them].’

The Red Sox need to pay Devers if they want to have a chance at success

Boston has the money to spend, but it’s all too typical for them to not pay their home-grown talent (for example, Mookie Betts and now Bogaerts). After quite a disappointing 2022 season, they need to hold on strong to what’s working, which is Devers.

They didn’t have many successful components this year. The bullpen had a meltdown every time players were brought in for relief, their rotation was inconsistent and often had bizarre injuries (Chris Sale, in particular), they DFA’d veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez couldn’t hit homers the way he did for years, the list goes on.

Amidst the mess, Devers stood in as one of the few reliable factors. When fans watched the Red Sox play, they knew they could count on Devers, no matter how horribly the game may go. He’s talented, and that’s why he was one of only two players in Boston to be nominated for a Silver Slugger this season.

The Red Sox are straying far away from the legacy David Ortiz and the early 2000s team fought so hard to build, and it’s a shame to watch the most successful team of the 21st century crumble and become one fans feel so much disappointment and frustration in.

Ortiz himself has called the Red Sox out for not paying Devers and Bogaerts, which should’ve been a wakeup call in itself considering Ortiz is still one of the most notable players in franchise history.

There are a lot of issues Boston needs to fix, but if they lose Devers, they’re only going to face another monumental slide backward.