One All-Star infielder signed a long-term extension on Wednesday, when José Ramírez reportedly agreed to terms on a new pact with the Cleveland Guardians, but don't expect Rafael Devers or Xander Bogaerts to do the same with the Boston Red Sox.
Devers rejected an extension offer the Red Sox made this spring, and the two sides remain "very far off" in negotiations, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Bogaerts, meanwhile, confirmed that he rejected a Red Sox's proposal to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Neither, as is the standard across the league, wants to discuss an extension once Opening Day arrives The Red Sox will begin their season Friday, as their contest against the New York Yankees was postponed a day because of rain.
That isn't to suggest the Red Sox have exhausted their last chance at keeping Devers or Bogaerts in town for the long haul. Devers won't qualify for free agency until after the 2023 season. Still, his price may only increase the closer he gets to hitting the open market, especially if he has the kind of productive season he's proven capable of having. Bogaerts, for his part, can opt out of his contract at the end of the 2022 season. He has $60 million and three years guaranteed remaining on his deal if he chooses to remain.
Devers, 25 years old, has batted .279/.338/.509 (120 OPS+) for his career with 112 home runs. Over the last three seasons, he's posted a 128 OPS+ and has accumulated an estimated 9.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference's calculations. He's quite good, in other words, and his age fosters dreams of him getting even better.
At minimum, it's fair to think that if the Red Sox are to retain Devers, it'll come at a significantly higher cost than what it took the Guardians to keep Ramírez. Cleveland guaranteed Ramírez $150 million over the next seven seasons; for comparison's sake, Anthony Rendon's free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels, also seven years in length, was signed prior to the 2020 season and will pay him around $245 million.
Bogaerts, 29, is also in line for a big contract. He's batted .302/.376/.523 (133 OPS+) with 67 home runs over the last three seasons. He's contributed nearly 13 Wins Above Replacement during that span, per Baseball-Reference. The Red Sox inked a different shortstop, Trevor Story, to a multi-year pact this winter, suggesting they could view him as Bogaerts' successor if he does opt out. (Story is slated to play second this season due in part to concerns about his arm strength.)
