The MLB next season sure promises a lot of fireworks with team-signing batters capable of making the ball fly out of the park. After a disappointing season for the Boston Red Sox, the team has announced the signing of left-hand batter Rafael Devers.
Moreover, Rafael’s contract is one of the biggest in MLB history- the $331 million eleven-year contract awarded to Devers is now the sixth-largest in MLB history, surpassing the $260 million contract signed by Harper.
On the other hand, it is the longest and largest signing for the Red Sox and the largest contract for any third baseman in history.
Earlier it was David Price holding on to the largest contract given by the franchise- a whopping $217 million contract for seven years while Manny Ramírez held the most extended contract of eight years; Devers’ contract outshines both by huge margins.
Furthermore, Rafael, throughout his career, has played 689 games, all for the Red Sox; it is no surprise that the left-hander has gained the trust of his franchise- who, after agreeing to give the player a year contract of $17.5 million has extended it for a guaranteed eleven years and a massive amount of $331 million.
Why did the Red Sox extend Rafael Devers’ contract?
The team from Boston is going through a rough patch- this season, the Red Sox only managed to win 78 games out of their 162 games with star players like Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez out of the team due to the off-season free agency.
Devers was the only remaining player to represent the franchise for more than five years, so the team’s owner, John Henry, did not want to lose him, leaving the team with only new faces. Thus, his extended contract gives the team from Boston a sigh of relief and someone to rely on.
How did fans react to Rafael Devers’s ginormous contract?
The fans expressed their opinion on Twitter after discovering the contract- the ginormous contract left them shocked!
"At least today, they stepped up in a way that they absolutely had to do to keep their fans from a complete mutiny."@jtomase reacts to the #RedSox and Rafael Devers agreeing to 11-year, $331 Million contract extension. pic.twitter.com/7O2IqnZ5mB
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) January 5, 2023
A fan wrote, “The booing of Henry at Fenway on Monday got the ball rolling.”
“So why would you want to keep players who finished last,” another fan added.
Unhappy with the contract, a fan commented, “Overpaid. He’ll be done in five years. Too violent a swing. And with nobody else of any appeal in that lineup to drive in or back him up, how is that guy worth that much? He ain’t. Another dumb move. Look, 300 million dollars is too much to pay Babe Ruth.”
Can Devers prove himself worthy of his contract? Stay tuned and find out next season!
