The Boston Red Sox, by all accounts, don't plan to trade star third baseman Rafael Devers before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, even if Chaim Bloom does ultimately operate as a seller in the coming days.
That doesn't mean, however, that the Red Sox and Devers are certain they're going to reach a long-term contract.
In fact, things sound rather ominous based off of a report from Jon Heyman in The New York Post:
"The Red Sox’s offer to Rafael Devers was about half of what he is said to be seeking (around $300 million; not a shock considering Soto’s value)."
While Devers has largely been mum about his long-term future, he did tell Alex Speier of The Boston Globe earlier this month that when the Red Sox approached him about a long-term deal in Spring Training, they tried to base their offer around the eight-year/$168 million deal that Matt Olson had recently signed with the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves, of course, signed Olson to what's seen as a team-friendly contract after pivoting from franchise icon Freddie Freeman and trading for him. Perhaps Devers will end up at first base later in his career, but he's currently at third base. And with all due respect to Olson, Devers is a superior player.
For whatever shortcomings he may have in the field, Devers has slashed .297/.355/.549 with 103 home runs, 326 RBIS and a .904 OPS since the start of the 2019 season. Over that same period, Devers' 16.3 fWAR is tied for eighth among all position players in the sport, ironically with current teammate Xander Bogaerts, who also has an uncertain future in Boston.
Teams aren't going to immediately offer a star player their last, best offer. That's not smart negotiating. But given how far away the two sides were in Spring Training, you wonder whether the Red Sox will entertain trade offers for Devers this winter if they aren't able to get any closer to finding some sort of middle ground in contract discussions. Set to turn 26 in October, Devers can become a free agent after the the 2023 season.
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