Do you think the contract drama is impacting his play?
This was the road traveled down during Alex Cora's postgame press conference Friday after Xander Bogaerts' early-season struggles continued with a three-strikeout game. And, rest assured, it won't be the last time such a narrative is surfaced.
There are plenty of key players in that clubhouse who are living with contractural uncertainty, which will always open the door to such questions. It's the risk any team and player run during contract years, even with the proclamation that no talks will be had while regular-season games are going on.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, it would appear as though Rafael Devers won't be thrown into the uneasiness.
Did the Red Sox make an offer to Devers to extend him past the 2023 season? Yes. Were they able to come to an agreement? No. Is the third baseman open to talks during the season? It doesn't seem so. And, finally, has all the buzz put a dent in Devers' performance? Absolutely not.
"Of course, I would have liked to get something done but that's in the past so my focus right now is to play ball," Devers told WEEI.com through translator Carlos Villoria-Benítez. "Everything contract-wise is in the past. I just want to focus on playing and be the best version of myself."
Was he discouraged no deal got done? "No. Not at all. It's business," Devers added. "They are going to go their way and I'm going to go my way. But I'm not disappointed at all."
However Devers' existence has changed off the field, the 25-year-old looks has never looked better on the diamond.
Through the first seven games, he represents the no-questions-asked most important piece of the Red Sox' lineup's puzzle, totaling the fifth-most total bases in the American League while carrying a .367 batting average and 1.054 OPS.
And, defensively, it has been like night and day compared to some of Devers' previous early-season performances. In his 17 chances, he doesn't have a single error. For Defensive Runs Saved, Devers is a plus-one after landing with a negative-12 a year ago.
"I don't know if I'm playing my best right now but when I go out there I'm just going out there and giving 100 percent," Devers said. He added, "My only goal is to help the team win. That's what my focus is, to help my team."
He's doing his part. The contract conversations can wait. Devers is making us all pay attention to something else - just how good he is.
