The Red Sox and star third baseman Rafael Devers have come to an agreement. But it may not be the one fans of the team were waiting for.
On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Sox and Devers have agreed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration later this winter. The deal will pay Devers $17.5 million in 2023.
Third baseman Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $17.5 million deal to avoid arbitration, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 3, 2023
This does not stop the sides from reaching a long-term contract extension. The fact that the sides got this deal done shows discussions.This move is, to an extent, a formality. Devers, 26, was entering the final year of arbitration in his contract and was under team control no matter what for 2023. Had the sides not agreed to a deal before the arbitration deadline, the sides would have gone to league-run salary arbitration. At that point, both sides would exchange salary figures for the upcoming season with a league panel then deciding which proposal would be Devers’ salary for 2023.
In his report, Passan added that this one-year deal, ” does not stop the sides from reaching a long-term contract extension,” adding, “the fact that the sides got this deal done shows discussions [between the two sides].”
Given the inability of the Red Sox in recent years to retain homegrown star players – highlighted by the departure of Xander Bogaerts earlier this offseason – Devers’ situation has become the lead headline regarding the Red Sox. The two-time All-Star and has appeared in the MVP voting in three of the last four seasons.
Rafael Devers career stats
Year Age Tm G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG Awards 2017 20 BOS 58 222 34 63 14 0 10 30 18 57 .284 .338 .482 2018 21 BOS 121 450 59 108 24 0 21 66 38 121 .240 .298 .433 2019 22 BOS 156 647 129 201 54 4 32 115 48 119 .311 .361 .555 MVP-12 2020 23 BOS 57 232 32 61 16 1 11 43 13 67 .263 .310 .483 2021 24 BOS 156 591 101 165 37 1 38 113 62 143 .279 .352 .538 AS,MVP-11,SS 2022 25 BOS 141 555 84 164 42 1 27 88 50 114 .295 .358 .521 AS,MVP-14 Career 689 2697 439 762 187 7 139 455 229 621 .283 .342 .512 162 avg. 162 634 103 179 44 2 33 107 54 146 .283 .342 .512 Bold season totals indicate player led league.
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/3/2023.Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].
