Red Sox, Rafael Devers Agree To Deal For 2023 Season, Avoid Arbitration
Fans have been waiting all offseason for the Boston Red Sox and superstar third baseman Rafael Devers to come to terms on a new deal.
That time reportedly came Tuesday, but not in the way fans hoped.
"Third baseman Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $17.5 million deal to avoid arbitration," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported. "This does not stop the sides from reaching a long-term contract extension. The fact that the sides got this deal done shows discussions."
Devers is entering his final year of team control and received a sizeable raise from the $11.2 million he made last season.
While it would have been a much bigger deal had the two sides agreed on a long-term deal, the move shows signs of progress. They were not able to come together on the deal that ultimately matters, but Devers' representation and the team appear to be on solid terms.
That said, Boston, despite its massive market, has developed a reputation for lowballing free agents in recent years, especially homegrown ones.
The latest report from ESPN's Joon Lee a few weeks back claimed that the two sides are "galaxies apart." The price for a 26-year-old superstar will only go up, and the Red Sox are only hurting themselves the longer they wait to pay their superstar slugger.
Avoiding arbitration could be considered a sign of progress, though it likely halted discussions to keep Devers in a Red Sox uniform for the next decade. Now there is nothing else to pivot to. It's time for Boston to pay up.
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