Red Sox reportedly used Matt Olson as comparable for Rafael Devers contract
BOSTON -- Rafael Devers is one of the best hitters in baseball. Period. The fact that he's just 25 years old and has a whole lot of hits ahead of him figures to make him a very, very wealthy man in short order.
Exactly how much money Devers will make in his first real contract, however, remains a point of contention in Boston. Though Devers will still be under team control for the 2023 season, his potential payday in free agency has made him the subject of plenty of trade fodder this year. The longer that it appears he and the Red Sox are miles apart on any long-term agreement, the more that chatter will intensify.
The Boston Globe's Alex Speier provided a peek behind the curtain with regard to how contract negotiations have gone, a look which helps explain just how far apart the Red Sox and Devers' camp have been.
According to Speier, the Red Sox used Matt Olson's contract with the Atlanta Braves "as a basis for discussions" with Devers.
Olson -- a Gold Glove first baseman who was an All-Star for the first time last year at age 27 -- signed an eight-year, $168 million contract extension with the Braves, who had acquired him via trade last offseason. That deal will pay Olson an average of $21 million per year through his age 35 season, with a $20 million club option for the 2030 season.
The reason the Red Sox used this deal as a comp, according to Speier, is because the team views Devers as a first baseman or designated hitter in the long-term view.
Olson is no slouch, and $168 million is nothing to sneeze at. Devers' camp, however, has eyes on the $300 million deals that go to the game's premier players. Thus far in 2022, Devers has certainly added to his case.
Devers is hitting .324 (third-best batting average in MLB), with 28 doubles (tied for fifth), 22 home runs (tied for ninth), and a .980 OPS (fourth).
As hitters, Devers and Olson don't make great comparables. They've played in almost the same number of games (Olson has played in 35 more) in their careers, with Devers hitting .285 and Olson hitting .253. Olson has hit more home runs (159, to Devers' 134), but Devers has hit 173 doubles compared to Olson's 135 doubles, and seven triples to Olson's one.
That may seem like they're close, but Devers doing all of that by age 25 certainly changes the equation. When Olson was 25, he had 89 home runs, 62 doubles and no All-Star appearances. Devers has 134 homers and 173 doubles, and on Tuesday night he will be the American League's starting third baseman in the All-Star Game for the second straight year. He also still has two-plus months left in his age 25 season.
Even if the Red Sox view Devers' defensive improvements at third base as a short-term adjustment (which could be considered rather insulting from Devers' standpoint), he figures to have some nearly historic offensive numbers for a 26-year-old when he does hit free agency in the winter of 2023. And he'll still be younger than Olson was when he signed his eight-year deal last spring.
Obviously, it's been known for some time that the Red Sox and Devers have been very far apart on any potential long-term pact. The latest tidbit provides some clarity on the details of those negotiations, and the long road that lies ahead if the Red Sox do indeed seek to bridge that gap.
