thelesterlee
In 2018, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. They had a core group of players prepared to compete for titles year after year. Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers were going to be the main attractions to World Series parades in Boston for the foreseeable future.
In 2019, Boston third Chaim Bloom as their Chief Baseball Officer. He promptly traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers for a 24-pack of Poland Spring water and that plastic at the end of your shoelaces.
This offseason, they lost Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres because they were outbid after pretending to be poor and unable to pay massive 10-year deals.
But then something incredibly stupid happened this week and now I have no idea what is going on in Massachusetts.
BREAKING: Star third baseman Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing an 11-year, $331 million contract, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN.
The deal is not done. The physical process hasn’t started. But in the end, Devers is expected to remain in Boston.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 4, 2023
What?
Mookie Betts was an MVP, World Series champ, 4-time Gold Glove winner, 4-time All-Star and 3-time Silver Slugger. Xander Bogaerts was a World Series champ, 5-time Silver Slugger and 4-time All-Star. They were too expensive and couldn’t be brought back.
Rafael Devers won a World Series as well but is only a 2-time All-Star and has one Silver Slugger. The significantly less accomplished player was awarded an 11-year $331 million contract in the midst of Boston claiming poverty.
Devers’s $331 million deal is the LARGEST DEAL IN RED SOX HISTORY. It’s almost as if Boston got rid of every talented player just so that they could afford Devers but I cannot stress enough that the Red Sox have more than enough money to have been able to keep all three of these stars.
And I will never feel bad for Red Sox fans. Ever.
But there are some fans who are going to eat the propaganda the organization feeds them when they inevitably come out and say “Mookie and Xander weren’t team players and demanded more money than we could afford but Rafael is the one true loyal king” because there is nothing these franchises love more than turning the fans against players in order to shield themselves from their own money hoarding.
To briefly defend the Red Sox—who do not deserve an ounce of defending—Rafael Devers is only 26 years old so locking him up for 11 years and building your team around his bat isn’t the worst move ever. You just have to pretend as if they didn’t lose superstars to keep him.
According to ESPN, Devers has posted a 162-game average of 103 runs, 179 hits, 44 doubles, 33 homers, 107 RBIs and 324 total bases. Mad decent.
Boston also avoids the year-long distraction of local media asking them about Devers’s contract. The heat would’ve been turned up to 11 after they were outbid for Xander in free agency. You cannot let your stars even touch free agency if you do not plan on matching or exceeding all offers they may receive. The Red Sox no longer have to worry about Devers leaving—and more important to them—being asked about Devers leaving and having to be accountable.
The Red Sox aren’t going to the playoffs any time soon but at least they aren’t completely rebuilding down to the studs. They can put Rafael Devers and Trevor Story on their game programs at Fenway and fans can pretend as if they aren’t opening participating in Boston’s Ponzi scheme.
Shout out to Devers getting his money. Boo the Red Sox.
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