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Boston Red Sox need to give Rafael Devers the bag

By Alan Nahigian

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 28: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox hits a double during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on September 28, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 28: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox hits a double during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on September 28, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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There are dark times right now if you are a Boston Red Sox fan.

It seems as though ownership doesn’t want to pay the stars what they are financially worth long-term.

One of those stars is Rafael Devers.

I was minding my own business yesterday, scrolling through Twitter when I saw this tweet.

This whole situation with the slugging third baseman is frustrating. It’s very simple at this point. The Boston Red Sox need to give Raffy Devers the bag and there’s a few points to back that up.

The Boston Red Sox have a top 10 hitter in Rafael Devers

I mean, this shouldn’t even have to be reiterated. But I’m going to do it anyway. Rafael Devers is one of the best young hitter in the MLB. Just look at the stats to back it up!

Last season, with a lengthy injury after the All-star break; Devers hit .296 with 27 homeruns and 88 RBI’s. Not to mention, he had an 879 OPS. This was with an injury where he had to miss a decent amount of time after the All-star break.

Before that? He had two 30 homerun seasons, made the All-star team in 2021, and won a Silver Slugger award in that same 2021 season.

Point being, Devers can swing the bat. You’d be foolish to get rid of your 3/4 hitter for the next 10 years!

The Boston Red Sox see Rafael Devers’ defense improving

Although the advanced statistics won’t prove it, Rafael Devers needs to be given credit for his improving defense.

Think about this. When the 26 year old slugger was in the field for the Red Sox in 2017 and even for 2018, didn’t you cringe a bit when a ball was hit to him? If you said no to this question, you’re either lying or just don’t want to admit it!

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But in 2022 specifically, Devers looked like a legitimate fielding third baseman. We saw plays where he had to dive, plays on the run, all sorts of plays being made! We don’t cringe when a ball is hit to Devers anymore like we did when he first came up to the Red Sox in 2017.

The bottom line with the Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers

Give Rafael Devers the money he deserves! I don’t know why everyone else sees this besides Red Sox ownership.

200 million dollars over 10 years? That’s STILL a similar contract to Braves first baseman Matt Olson. I’d rather have Devers than Olson at this stage of both of their careers.

Phillies success exposes Sox big mistakes. dark. Next

If the ownership group wants to keep making a profit, they have to keep their stars here in Boston. Call me crazy, but if you sign Devers long-term; maybe that entices Xander Bogaerts to stay one-term too!

This franchise has made mistakes when it comes to contracts. Jon Lester, Pablo Sandoval and Carl Crawford to name a few. Let’s not have ownership make the same mistake again. Get the deal done so the focus can be shifted to Bogaerts.

The offense is there. The defense continues to get better. Raffy can be a cornerstone for years to come. What am I missing here?

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