The Boston Red Sox and All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers have agreed to a deal, though it isn't for the long-term extension Red Sox fans are surely hoping. The team announced a one-year deal with Devers that avoids arbitration on Tuesday. The deal is worth $17.5 million, according to ESPN. The 2023 season is the last year in which Devers is eligible for arbitration before hitting free agency.
Barring a trade, Devers remaining with the Red Sox via a one-year deal -- at least in some form -- was a bit of a formality. The one notable takeaway here is the two sides had to negotiate to come to an agreement instead of hitting the arbitration table, where they'd argue against one another. That is to say, if any Red Sox fans are looking for a positive here, it's that the two sides came to an agreement instead of bickering.
Still, the bigger picture here is the future of Devers for the full 2023 season and then 2024 and beyond. We've seen the Red Sox trade Mookie Betts a year prior to hitting free agency and let Xander Bogaerts walk this winter. Devers heads toward his age-26 season as one of the better middle-order bats in baseball. He's a two-time All-Star who has gotten MVP votes in three of his five full seasons in the majors.
The last news we heard on a possible Devers extension with the Red Sox was that they were far apart in negotiations. It was a few weeks ago and things can change quickly, but there haven't been any reports of progress since then.
Devers hit .295/.358/.521 (141 OPS+) with 42 doubles, 27 home runs, 88 RBI, 84 runs and 4.4 WAR in 141 games last season.
If the Red Sox do start looking to deal Devers, we could probably speculate on around a dozen teams being interested.
