Red Sox Nation, rejoice!
All of your tweets, your boo’s, your threats to boycott Fenway Park, they all worked. On Wednesday, Boston signed third baseman Rafael Devers to an 11-year, $331 million contract extension, keeping him with the team through the 2033 season.
Could re-signing one of the best third basemen in baseball put the Red Sox back in World Series contention? Not necessarily according to BetOnline.ag. Here’s at their top ten to win it next season:
Odds to Win 2023 World Series
Houston Astros +625
New York Mets +700
New York Yankees +750
Los Angeles Dodgers +775
Atlanta Braves +1000
San Diego Padres +1000
Philadelphia Phillies +1200
Seattle Mariners +1600
Toronto Blue Jays +1600
Tampa Bay Rays +2000
The Red Sox aren’t sniffing the top ten. Their odds went unchanged after the signing, as they still sit at +6600.
What Boston did do, however, is finally lock up one of their own after letting franchise cornerstones like Jon Lester, Mookie Betts, and Xander Boegarts all walk away over the last ten seasons.
When there were rumors that Xander Boegarts would sign elsewhere earlier this offseason, I wrote about how there was a slim chance that Devers would return after that, considering the players relationship:
With Trevor Story waiting to go back to his traditional shortstop position and rumors of Boston wanting to bring in a second baseman, I have a hard time believing Bogey will be back in 2023.
I can deal with this. He is on the older end and he will command a lot of money. Letting him walk would not be a bad baseball decision.
What would be a bad baseball decision and that I won’t be able to deal with however is if they decide not to lock up Rafael Devers. Devers is 25 and one of the best hitters in baseball.
The idea that if Bogey walks, then Devers walks could be a harsh reality for Boston. Those guys are close friends and have leaned on each other throughout their careers in Red Sox uniforms.
If you need Boegarts around to keep Devers, then you make that happen 10 times out of 10. We’ll see how it plays out.
Well, they were able to let their 30-year-old shortstop go without overspending, and kept a younger franchise cornerstone around for another 10+ years.
Bravo, Chaim Bloom. Bravo, John Henry. You made it work. Now go win another World Series.
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