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Conflicting reports emerge about Rafael Devers’ contract negotiations with Red Sox
Devers was reportedly visited by GM Eddie Romero in the Dominican Republic, but the reasons are murky.
A senior Red Sox executive reportedly visited Rafael Devers in the Dominican Republic on Monday.
The nature of the executive’s conversations with Devers, however, remain unclear, as conflicting reports have emerged.
Per MLB insider Yancen Pujols, who previously reported the details of Wander Franco’s contract with the Rays, the Red Sox and Devers began discussing a contract extension, and the team made a “substantially” better offer than the one Devers shot down during spring training. Pujols reported that the team is looking to sign Devers for “at least” seven seasons.
Meanwhile, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that Eddie Romero — the team’s assistant GM — had “a regular offseason check-in” with Devers. Speier wrote that his sources “downplayed” Pujols’ report and the suggestion that things were heating up between Devers and the team. Speier also noted that Romero regularly checks in with Devers during the offseason, and that this visit was not out of the ordinary.
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Pujols, however, doubled down on his reporting on Tuesday — saying that the Red Sox “began the negotiation process” and reiterating that a “substantially improved offer was made.”
The Red Sox said repeatedly that they hope to extend Devers as last season wound down.
“He’s a guy that we want to build around,” Chaim Bloom told reporters at the team’s end-of-season press conference. “He’s hugely important to what we’re doing. We hope he’s here not just next year but in the years to come.
“I think we’re in a position now that we expect and fully intend to go out and put a really good team on the field and win next year. That’s really important. And I don’t see how it would make life easier for ourselves by him not being a part of that, to say nothing of the years to come.”
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Devers spent time on the injured list as the Red Sox faltered to a disappointing season, but he batted .296/.358/.521 with 27 homers and 88 RBIs.
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