The Red Sox finalized their deal with Rafael Devers in the first week of the New Year. But the work toward that end result began a long time ago.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said, internally, the Red Sox have been discussing an extension for the third baseman "for years,'' with the talks quickly picking up steam in October, when, for the first time, the Sox narrowed a gap that existed and got closer to the landmark, 10-year, $313.5-million deal they officially announced at a Fenway Park press conference.
"It's been years in the making, with lots and lots of dialogue,'' said team president and CEO Sam Kennedy. "But we ultimately got here.''
Another big step got taken in mid-December when a plane full of Red Sox personnel -- led by principal owner John Henry -- to the Dominican Republic to meet with Devers and his representatives.
"This was something that was an urgent priority,'' said team chairman Tom Werner.
Devers said the visit convinced him that the Red Sox were serious about getting him signed long-term and led the way to more negotiations.
More progress got made in a marathon negotiating session on New Year's Eve between Bloom and agent Nelson Montes de Oca. Days later, the Sox finally had an agreement.
"Every organization dreams of developing star players,'' said Bloom. "Raffy's a star. But he's not just a star -- he's our star.''
_______________
Devers is now the longest-tenured position player on the roster and also the highest-paid. With other veteran players -- including Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Christian Vazquez, Nathan Eovaldi and others -- now gone, Devers was asked if his status will change within the clubhouse, and specifically, whether the team is now his.
"Nothing changes,'' said Devers through an interpreter. "I just want to be the same guy I've always been -- someone who has fun, who enjoys the game, who's approachable. A lot of times, my teammates ask me a lot of questions and I'm happy to answer. But I never want to feel that I'm above the team or someone larger than who I am.''
But manager Alex Cora said, behind the scenes, Devers has already emerged as more of a team leader.
"He's taken steps forward the last two years,'' said Cora. "First things first, he posts. He plays. You saw him last year, limping. The year before, he had the elbow and (still) hitting bombs late in the season and in the playoffs. There's different ways to lead. Sometimes, you lead in meetings and you talk. In others, you show up and play. And with Raffy, it's a mix of both.''
___________________________
The loss of Trevor Story, who will miss a good chunk -- if not all -- of the season leaves the Red Sox with some holes. They could acquire infielders for shortstop and second base, or they could shift Kiké Hernandez from center field to short.
Under that plan, the Sox would be counting on Jarren Duran to handle center field. Duran struggled mightily in some time last year and his confidence seemed shot. But Cora believes there's still something there for the Sox to tap into.
"We haven't talked about Jarren for a while,'' said Cora. "I think, with where we're at in this situation, it would be good for him to step up and play good baseball and be the player we envisioned a few years ago. We've been talking about some different scenarios and we'll see what we do in the upcoming days or weeks.''
With Duran, the Red Sox would need some support for him, since it's unlikely they would turn over the starting center fielder's job to him with so little success at the big league level. But the presence of Rob Refsnyder, who conveniently enough hits righthanded, could provide Duran with the perfect platoon partner. And Refsnyder blistered lefthanded pitching last year, slashing .359/.411/.594 in 38 games against lefties.
__________________________
The structure of the Red Sox contract with Devers is such that the team is treating the extension as a deal that will take place starting in 2024, after a 2023 season that sees Devers get $17.5 million in a pre-arbitration settlement agreed upon before the longer deal was announced.
The end result is still the same: Devers will make $331 million over the next 11 years, with a 10-year, $313.5 million deal to follow the final year of arbitration eligibility.
According to an industry source, Devers will get a $20 million signing bonus, salaries of $27.5 million from 2024 through 2026, salaries of $31 million from 2027 through 2030 and salaries of $29 million from 2031-2033.
There are also some deferrals in place that will result in the AAV of a little more than $29 million, as it's applied to competitive balance tax (CBT) accounting.
____________________________
At the start of Wednesday's press conference, the Red Sox had a video screen that listed about 40 names of people still in the organization who helped contribute to Devers' career, from instructors, to scouts, to minor league coaches to clubhouse attendants. Bloom said he wanted to salute those and recognize their work...The Red Sox, who designated pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez in a bit of roster trimming last week, traded the lefty reliever to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.