Boston Red Sox Reportedly Sign Young Cornerstone to Long-Term Extension

As the rest of the East Coast was watching the Solar Eclipse on Monday, the Boston Red Sox were locking up youngster Ceddanne Rafaela to a long-term deal. The terms aren't known but it will assuredly take the Red Sox and Rafaela into a relationship past the 2029 season.

While the rest of the East Coast was paying attention to the Solar Eclipse on Monday, the Boston Red Sox were busy locking up a piece of their young core.

The team and INF/OF Ceddanne Rafaela reportedly agreed to a long-term contract extension on Monday, though the terms of the deal are not known at this time.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive had the deal as Rafaela joins Brayan Bello as young Red Sox' players to sign long-term deals in the last month.

Per Cotillo as well:

When chief baseball officer Craig Breslow took over in November, he made it clear the Red Sox would attempt to be hyper-aggressive in their pursuit of long-term extensions with players who had not reached arbitration. In locking up Bello — who signed for $55 million over six seasons in March — and Rafaela, the club has gotten deals across the finish line with two players who they hope are part of their future for years to come. Before the Bello deal, the Red Sox had signed just one pre-arbitration player (Garrett Whitlock) to an extension since 2011.

Rafaela was already under control 2029, so this deal likely takes him at least one year beyond that - if not more. By doing these deals now, the Red Sox are avoiding situations like they had with Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts, where they end up losing a popular player because they are unwilling to pay them an exorbitant price in free agency. While these deals undoubtedly give Bello and Rafaela security, they probably save the team a ton of money in the long run.

The 23-year-old Rafaela is hitting .233 in the early going with one stolen base. He's also played excellent defense in centerfield.

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