Red Sox Nation should receive credit for Rafael Devers’ contract extension

Red Sox Nation forced FSG’s hand with Rafael Devers

Red Sox Nation! Finally, we have something exciting to talk about in regard to this team in what feels like ages. Seriously, was the last time we had fun as a collective unit since the 2021 ALDS? Maybe the first half of the ALCS? Fenway Sports Group finally stepped up and did something they don’t do. They gave Rafael Devers a well-deserved contract extension that now stands as the largest contract in franchise history and the sixth largest in the history of MLB.

I think we all lost our minds on Wednesday night when the news dropped all over the internet. Yeah, Chaim Bloom played a role, and obviously, Raffy more than earned this, and hell, John Henry wrote a check! But when the dust settles I think one group deserves a majority of the credit, Red Sox Nation.

That’s right my friends, I truly believe that we should pat ourselves on the back for this deal getting done when it did. Shortly after seeing Xander Bogaerts in his fresh new Padres uniform, and days after Nathan Eovaldi and J.D. Martinez parted for greener pastures, things were feeling pretty bleak around Jersey Street.

For me, the turning point came on Monday afternoon as the Bruins and Penguins faced off at Fenway Park for the NHL Winter Classic. Remember, Henry and FSG own the Penguins, so this was already some hostile territory. Then the highly disliked owner actually showed up at Fenway and was met with a nice wave of boos and jeers from the Boston crowd. This is about as close to addressing the fanbase as Henry has gotten in years.

The B’s would get the job done on Monday afternoon, and across the pond, another of Henry’s toys, Liverpool, was getting absolutely rocked on their way to an embarrassing loss. So ol’ John had to watch two of his teams lose while sitting in the building where his main property plays and getting booed by fans that I’m sure he believes should love him. But that’s not how Red Sox Nation gets down, John!

I recently wrote about the fact that FSG has all but abandoned the Red Sox. Yeah, yeah, yeah, four championships. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Top-10 in payroll every year. I don’t care. That only gets you so far when in the years surrounding those successes the organization does everything in its power to seemingly turn its own fans against them. I liken FSG to Andy from Toy Story and the Red Sox are Woody. Once Buzz Lightyear showed up there just wasn’t enough time in the day for their once favorite toy.

But, that’s a tangent I have gone on many times and will likely wander down that road again in the future. This right here is a love letter to Red Sox Nation. A fiercely loyal fanbase that supports this club whether they’re in first place or dead last. Night in and night out there are butts in the seats.

Sox fans are tired of seeing the plans change on a whim because ownership can’t decide what the goal of the team is. Fans are sick of ticket prices going up year over year while the product on the field isn’t reflecting those profits. This fanbase, as I said above, is loyal, but they’re also incredibly smart. Don’t pee on their back and tell ’em it’s raining.

Deep down I feel that it was the barrage of comments in every social media post. The vitriol in the comments of every Boston Globe sports post. Each and every tweet surrounding NESN posts about the Red Sox. This was truly an uncoordinated yet incredibly successful strike against ownership to show that this fanbase has had enough. If that’s what it takes for FSG to wake up and start getting back to what made this team so successful over the last 20 years, then I’m all for it.

Rafael Devers is one of the best young hitters in the game today and even with injuries in both 2021 and 2022, he showed that he can be the cornerstone of this franchise. His age lends itself perfectly to the 11-year-$331 M contract that he signed on Wednesday and should be a wake-up call to any other young talent that may not have looked at Boston before. Boston and Raffy were said to be nowhere near an extension last week, and then Monday happened. Red Sox Nation is one of the best fanbases in all of sports and now, they just may be one of the best General Managers in sports as well.