:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71819217/1438678412.0.jpg "Rafael Devers contract: Red Sox 3B agrees to 11-year, 1M extension")
Update – After avoiding arbitration, the Red Sox and Devers agreed to terms on a 11-year, $331 million extension, per multiple reports. ESPN's Jeff Passan has more of the details here.
The Boston Red Sox have reached a one-year, $17.5 million deal with 3B Rafael Devers to avoid arbitration, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. This deal helps to relieve the pressure of getting the long-term contract done sooner rather than later. This was Devers' final year of arbitration, and he is set to become a free agent ahead of the 2024 season.
Devers played in 141 games last season. He hit .295 with 42 doubles, 27 home runs and 88 RBI. Devers had the ninth-best slugging percentage in the league (.521), as well as the eighth-best OPS (.879). He had a 4.4 WAR which ranked as the sixth-best for a third-baseman in the MLB.
Boston has made some questionable decisions, or lack thereof, this offseason. At the time of this writing, they have allowed Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez to walk in free agency. They have signed Masataka Yoshida and Justin Turner, as well as some bullpen help. They haven't been able to replicate the amount of offense that was lost so far. The expectation around their current decisions is that they are going to try and sign Devers to a long-term deal. If they don't, he will likely lead the free agency class in 2024 and will find a team that is willing to.