Portland Sea Dogs
While Sam Travis is the future at first base for Boston, Rafael Devers is the future at third base. The 20-year old has become the number one prospect in the Red Sox farm system, and for good reason. Devers projects to be able to hit for average while also being able to slug the ball out of the yard.
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So far, Devers is showing his potential with the bat in Portland. Hitting .320 over 13 games, Devers is showing he can hit above average. Also, Devers is second on the team with 24 total bases. This is very important because he is proving his expectations are warranted due to the massive amounts of production.
Obviously, Devers will not be playing everyday in Boston this year. Again, he is only 20 years old. Also, Sandoval is under contract until the 2019 season, at the very least. Now, if Devers can continue with his production, this is something to pay attention to.
It would be laughable to say Sandoval’s time in Boston has been anything that resembles success. But, if you fast forward a little more than a year, he could be dealt if the cards are played right. With 2 years, $36 million assigned for ’18 and ’19, that contract becomes more appealing to another team.
Also, Boston is a big market, and can afford to eat some of that money. So, if Boston offers 1.5 years of the Panda for roughly $25 million, it is not a leap to say that a contending team would try to get Panda for a “reclamation project.” If that doesn’t happen, it seems like Devers is blocked from getting called up.