"They need to sell the team" - MLB podcaster believes Red Sox's inability to retain Rafael Devers should be the final straw
Rafael Devers is one of the only remaining players left from the 2018 World Series-winning Boston Red Sox. There are a few holdovers, but the majority of major players are long gone. The front office has either elected not to re-sign them or shipped them off for mediocre returns.
Devers is due for an extension soon. Contract talks have already begun as the decision to let Xander Bogaerts walk leaves a little more money for the third baseman.
However, it looks like the team and the young star are miles apart on a potential contract. With the Red Sox's history, the fanbase isn't sure they will be able to hold on to their franchise cornerstone.
Jared Carrabis, MLB podcaster and notable Red Sox fan, doesn't foresee a good outcome.
It sounds like the wise choice would be to start mentally preparing for the Red Sox to trade Rafael Devers some time in the next seven months. Anything outside of that scenario would be a surprise now. If they don’t sign him because of “limitations”, they need to sell the team. twitter.com/joonlee/status…
He tweeted:
"It sounds like the wise choice would be to start mentally preparing for the Red Sox to trade Rafael Devers some time in the next seven months. Anything outside of that scenario would be a surprise now. If they don’t sign him because of 'limitations', they need to sell the team."
The Red Sox are four years removed from a World Series victory and one year removed from an ALCS trip. Yet it doesn't look like the team will be able to retain the pieces of those teams at all.
They've been fairly active in free agency, but not in signing the big names they needed or the ones that were already in Boston. Devers leaving, which seems likely to Carrabis, would be the final nail in the coffin and signal an end to their contention.
Will the Boston Red Sox be able to retain Rafael Devers?
The Red Sox elected not to even attempt matching Xander Bogaerts' $280 million contract from the San Diego Padres. Ordinarily, this might seem like a choice where they chose to go after Devers instead of Bogaerts.
However, they signed Masataka Yoshida to a large contract and added Justin Turner as well. The money might not conflict with Devers', but it does give the front office a little less flexibility to sign him.
Given how they've handled Mookie Betts, Bogaerts, and others, a career in red for Devers is unlikely.