Rafael Devers doesn’t want to leave the Red Sox anytime soon
It’s All-Star Week and the Red Sox made sure to have their presence felt in Denver. With five players participating in the Midsummer Classic they have more representatives than any other team. One of the biggest names that Boston sent to Coors Field is Rafael Devers and he has the most to earn from a good showing. While he isn’t due for free agency anytime soon, he’s in the arbitration process and his future could be determined with one contract offer.
One of the best things about the festivities this week is that the players are more available than ever and we can see how they’re feeling mid-way through the season. Devers spoke with Christopher Smith of MassLive.com and one topic was the main point of the conversation, his career. Raffy may only be 24-years-old but he’s already thinking about what he wants his legacy to be. For the young third baseman, he has always loved the Red Sox and wants to spend his playing days with the club.
"“I grew up a Boston fan. And I signed with Boston so I would like to stay,” Devers told MassLive.com through translator Marly Rivera of ESPN."
It’s no surprise that Rafael grew up a fan of the Red Sox with legends like Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz all hailing from his native Dominican Republic. He now has a chance to further the legacy of players from the country with this organization and he’s already doing one hell of a job.
He’s only in his fifth year of service in the Majors and already has a World Series ring, an All-Star nod, and a boatload of team records under his belt. There’s plenty of time left on his career and those numbers will only continue to rise.
Raffy has formed a hell of a dynamic duo with Xander Bogaerts, another player that the Red Sox need to prioritize this winter, and the two are the best shortstop/third base pair in the league. Boston’s success in the future will almost certainly be dependent on these two continuing to play at the level they’re currently at. If Chaim Bloom wants to build his legacy with the Sox, it’ll start and finish with what he does with Raffy and Xander. It’s no secret what the third baseman wants.
"“I love Boston. It’s a beautiful city,” Devers said. “The best part is the weather right now. Not only that … the fans are awesome. It doesn’t matter what team we play. They always show up to support us at Fenway. So it’s pretty cool.”"
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It hasn’t always been rainbows and sunshine for Devers in Boston as he’s someone who can be prone to racking up the errors. The thing is, for every miscue he has in the field he tends to make up for it in the batter’s box. That ability is something that has driven this team to the success they’re seeing this year and probably made the last two seasons better than they should’ve been.
For Bloom, it would be in his best interest to get the ball rolling on an extension for the young infielder. As he gets deeper into arbitration it’s only going to cost John Henry and the boys more cash to get him onto the field. If they can work out a new deal this winter, they’ll at least be able to control more of the money aspect and can lock down a star third baseman for the entirety of his career. We saw what the previous regime was able to do with Bogey and they may want to do the same here with Devers.
Rafael Devers has been a revelation for this team and came along at the right time to become a key component of a potential championship squad. Night in and night out he performs and has become one of the most clutch players on the roster. He’s in the midst of another career year and with his desire to stay with this club for the long haul, it’s time he got rewarded for such. It would be the best move for Bloom and Boston to lock him down now before they can’t afford to in a few years.