The Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers have made zero progress on a long-term contract extension since the end of the season, a source familiar with the situation said Monday. It’s exceedingly unlikely that the sides reach a deal before Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires and a work stoppage is expected to start.
Devers, 25, is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, meaning he’s scheduled to become a free agent after the 2023 season. Both Devers and the Sox have expressed interest in coming to terms on a long-term agreement, but to this point, no serious talks have taken place. It’s likely the sides will broach the topic once the work stoppage ends; extensions are usually a topic of discussion during spring training and the days leading up to Opening Day.
Devers had the best year of his career in 2021, hitting .279 with 38 homers, 113 RBIs and an .890 OPS in 156 games for Boston. He was a first-time All-Star, finished 11th in AL MVP voting and won the Silver Slugger award for AL third baseman. Just last week, he was named to the All-MLB Second Team.
Any extension for Devers would be a costly expenditure for the Red Sox and would almost certainly fall in the nine-figure range. The team also must address the future of Xander Bogaerts, who can opt out of his contract after the 2022 season, in the coming months.
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