Born on October 24th, 1996, Rafael Devers is currently 26 years old. His contract will expire in the fall of 2034, meaning he will be 37 years old when he is finally a free agent again.
Over the past two seasons, the first baseman has taken his game to the next level. He has hit 65 home runs and 201 RBIs during that timespan. He was named to the AL All-Star team for his efforts in 2021 and 2022, the first two times in his career.
Devers also registered a batting average of .295 last season, the second-highest of his career. All this paved the way for a new contract extension with the Red Sox, especially after his club lost an irreplaceable player at shortstop in Xander Bogaerts, who decided to sign with the San Diego Padres.
Rafael Devers’ extension is a major vote of confidence
In January 2023, the Boston Red Sox re-signed Rafael Devers to a mammoth deal. Devers signed an 11-year contract extension with a $20 million signing bonus and a total guaranteed value of $331 million between next season and the end of the 2034 season.
The Red Sox are struggling to ensure that at least some of their skill sticks around for Opening Day. The loss of Xander Bogaerts has been offset by some acquisitions, such as NPB star Masataka Yoshida, who signed a five-year deal worth some $90 million with the Red Sox. The Sox have also signed star closer Kenley Jansen, who led the NL in saves last season as a closer for the Atlanta Braves.
The Boston Red Sox have come to a fork in the road. They can either continue to acquire obscure players who make their lineup appear more attractive on paper or rebuild from the bottom up.
Regardless, they know they will need to keep Devers around if they want to have any chance of winning at all.
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