Report: Red Sox agree to 11-year contract extension with Rafael Devers, worth $331 million
BOSTON -- After losing Xander Bogaerts to free agency this year, the Red Sox have made sure that Rafael Devers won't do the same next year.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Red Sox and Devers agreed to an 11-year contract extension worth more than $330 million -- a deal that will keep Devers in Boston for the long term.
Confirmed: The Boston #RedSox have signed Rafael Devers to an 11-year, $332 million contract extension, as Carlos Baerga first reported.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 4, 2023
Ken Rosenthal confirmed the news, stating that the deal begins in 2024 and that it's for $331 million, not $332 million. The Boston Globe's Alex Speier also confirmed the reporting.
Source confirms: Rafael Devers in agreement with Red Sox on 11-year, $331M extension that begins in 2024. Deal includes $20M signing bonus. First with agreement was Carlos Baerga. Amount is indeed $331M, not $332M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 4, 2023
Confirmed via major league source: Rafael Devers and the Red Sox are in agreement on a deal that will pay him $331 million over the next 11 years. First reported by Carlos Baerga and @BNightengale
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) January 4, 2023
Devers was entering his final year under team control, and he and the team agreed on a $17.5 million salary for 2023 to avoid arbitration on Tuesday.
But this deal ensures that Devers' time in Boston will extend long after 2023, as the 26-year-old is now signed through his late 30s.
Devers made his MLB debut in 2017 at the age of 20, and in 689 games, he has a .283 batting average and .854 OPS, earning starting All-Star spots in each of the past two years and winning a Silver Slugger at third base in 2021. He led the league with 54 doubles in 2019, when he posted a career-high .916 OPS, and he hit a career-high 38 home runs in 2021.