Report: Red Sox, Devers agree to 11-year, $331M extension
The Boston Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers agreed to an 11-year, $331-million contract extension, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The deal begins in 2023 and includes a $20-million signing bonus, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
It doesn't include a no-trade clause, but Devers will obtain no-trade rights in 2027 as a player with 10 years of service time, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
Devers' contract will fold in the $17.5-million salary he agreed to earlier this week to avoid arbitration, a source told Passan.
Just to clarify: The 11 years and $331 million for Devers *includes* his 2023 salary. The deal will run through 2033. No opt outs in the deal.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) January 4, 2023
The 26-year-old's contract will become the largest in team history, trumping the seven-year, $215-million deal left-hander David Price signed in 2015.
The Red Sox and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom received plenty of fan pressure to re-sign Devers after trading outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2020 season and losing shortstop Xander Bogaerts in free agency this winter. The two sides had reportedly negotiated for most of 2022, with Boston offering the infielder a deal worth more than $200 million last spring.
Devers, who reportedly wanted more than $300 million in April, had a terrific 2022 season, hitting .295/.358/.521 with 27 home runs, 42 doubles, and 88 RBIs in 141 games. He also finished third in fWAR among AL third baseman behind Jose Ramirez and Alex Bregman.
The two-time All-Star owns a .283/.342/.512 slash line with 139 homers, 187 doubles, and 455 RBIs in six campaigns with the Red Sox. He has received down-ballot MVP votes three times throughout his career.
It's been a busy offseason for the Red Sox, who signed outfielder Masataka Yoshida, designated hitter Justin Turner, and veteran pitchers Kenley Jansen, Corey Kluber, and Chris Martin.