Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers receive their 2021 Silver Slugger Awards on May 4, 2022, at Fenway Park. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)AP
TORONTO — The Red Sox would make a big statement early in the offseason if they re-signed Xander Bogaerts, then extended slugger Rafael Devers longterm.
Bogaerts is expected to opt out of the remaining three years, $60 million left on his contract and become a free agent this offseason. Devers, meanwhile, is eligible for free agency after the 2023 season. He’s open to negotiating a longterm deal this winter.
MassLive.com asked Devers about a possible scenario where Bogaerts re-signs, then he follows soon after with a contract extension this coming offseason.
“That would be really nice,” Devers said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez here at Rogers Centre on Friday. “I hope it happens like you said — they sign Bogey longterm and then me longterm. But I don’t know what’s going to happen. The only thing I know is to play ball. I don’t know about (contract) numbers or anything like that. I’ll leave that to the team and my agent. I’m just trying to keep doing what I’m doing, which is play baseball, and they’ll take care of it.”
Bogaerts’ future is the biggest storyline surrounding the team here in the final week of the season. The star shortstop, who turned 30 today, has been the one constant in the Red Sox lineup since 2013. He ranks fourth in WAR (5.8) among major league shortstops. Francisco Lindor leads all shortstops with a 6.7 WAR. Bogaerts is right behind Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson who both have a 6.0 WAR.
“We know how important Bogaerts is for the team not only as a player but also as a person,” Devers said. “And we don’t know what conversation is going on between him and the team. But for me personally, he’s just a big part of the team and he’s always been here in Boston. So for me, he’s a friend, he’s family, so I wish he’d stay here.”
Devers said he considers Bogaerts his “brother.”
“Since I came up, he always took me under his wing,” Devers said. “Him and Eduardo (Rodriguez). We know the type of player that he is, the way he takes care of himself, the way carries himself on the field and off the field. That’s something you always look up to. And I’ve been lucky enough to be able to share those moments with him and to be able to follow him and to always look up to him. So it’s very important.”
What does Devers enjoy the most about Bogaerts’ game?
“For me, he’s an electric player,” Devers said. “He might not be the guy who hits home runs every time or runs the fastest. But he’s always hustling. He always runs hard.”
Bogaerts’ hustle has helped him in his pursuit of the AL batting title. He ranks sixth in the majors in infield singles (29).
“He plays hard,” Devers said. “And that’s something you always look for. For me, it’s really nice to see that day in, day out. And just the player that he is. He’s an all-around player. You don’t see that every day.”
When Bogaerts opts out, the Red Sox will extend him a qualifying offer and he’ll reject it. Extending him the offer would give Boston draft-pick compensation if the shortstop signs elsewhere.
Boston has exclusive negotiating rights during a five-day quiet period following the World Series. It would be ideal to hammer out a deal during this time.
Devers, meanwhile, is having another productive year despite some struggles during the second half (partly because he played with a hamstring injury). He’s batting .291 with a .355 on-base percentage, .519 slugging percentage, .874 OPS, 27 homers, 41 doubles and one triple in 137 games.
The Red Sox haven’t approached Devers about an extension here late in the season.
“We haven’t talked during the season,” Devers said.
But Devers specifically told the Red Sox he did not want to discuss a contract extension during the season.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the offseason,” Devers said. “Obviously I’m open to talk to them. And we’ll see what happens.”
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