Conflicting reports on Red Sox, Rafael Devers working on long-term contract
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox have some major question marks going forward, but it looks like they want to secure one critical piece for the long term.
According to a couple of reports out of the Dominican Republic, the team is making progress on signing Rafael Devers to a seven-year contract.
The first came from Yancen Pujols, who reported Monday night that "a senior club executive" was in the Dominican with the goal of signing Devers to an extension. Pujols added that the Red Sox were expected to "significantly" increase their offer from the one made last April, which was reportedly an eight-year deal worth roughly $168.
Héctor Gómez confirmed Pujols' report, noting that the Red Sox were expected to double their initial offer.
Devers, who turned 26 years old on Monday, is entering the final year under Red Sox team control, and is due to hit free agency next winter. There's been plenty of speculation about the Red Sox' plans with Devers, but the latest reporting indicates that they're at least trying to lock him up for the long term instead of trading him away to secure some value.
At the same time ... a couple of conflicting reports indicate that might not be the case at all.
The Boston Globe's Alex Speier and MassLive's Chris Cotillo said that nothing was happening on the Devers extension front.
The speculation is sure to continue.
Devers made his second straight All-Star team in 2022, hitting .295 with an .879 OPS while hitting 27 home runs and delivering 88 RBIs.
