Sources – Rafael Devers, Red Sox complete 11-year, $331 million renewal

5:25 p.m. ET

• Jeff Passan

  VicinityESPN

  ESPN MLB insider
  Author of The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports

• jon lee

  VicinityESPN

  Previously a Staff Writer at Bleacher Report
  Cornell University graduate

Third baseman Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing an 11-year, $331 million contract extension, sources told ESPN, a deal that will keep the 26-year-old star from going free agency this year achieve, and which represents the longest and greatest guarantee ever given by the franchise.

The agreement, which is expected to be signed Wednesday night and would be the biggest ever for a third baseman, comes in the middle of a trying winter for the Red Sox, who lost longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts to San Diego in free agency for nearly three years after moving from star right fielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Offering Devers a deal far longer than Manny Ramirez’s eight-year contract and more than 50% larger than David Price’s $217 million contract was enough for the two-time All-Star to knock the Red Sox from last-place in to oust the American League East and back to the dispute.

The contract begins in 2023 and runs until the 2033 season, sources said. The long-term deal will replace the one-year, $17.5 million deal Devers signed earlier in the week to avoid arbitration.

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Devers made his Boston debut in 2017 at the age of 20 and was quick to show why Boy Scouts so revered his slugger. His left-handed swing was perfect for Fenway Park, with doubles hitting the Green Monster and home runs going right field. Devers’ acumen has only grown. In 2022, he hit .295/.358/.521 with 27 home runs, 88 RBIs and a career-best OPS+.

It was similar to his 2021 season, in which Devers hit 38 homers, and 2019, when he was leading the major leagues with 359 total bases as a 22-year-old. The consistency made him the perfect candidate to cope with the long-term losses of Bogaerts and Betts, whose consistency was one of their defining traits. Early negotiations for a deal did not bear fruit, as Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Rep 1’s agent Nelson Montes de Oca differed widely in their ratings.

Whether the backlash from the loss of Bogaerts and Betts – and only the loss – had any impact on the deal closing is unclear. But on Monday, as Fenway Park hosted the majestic Winter Classic, fans booed Red Sox owner John Henry, a sign of town sentiment toward the owner under whom the team broke its 86-year World Series drought , before winning three more championships.

Seeing Bogaerts come up short with a tens of millions of dollars bid, especially with the Red Sox returning Jeter Downs, the main prospect, in the Betts deal just days later. Bogaerts, 30, like Devers, was a homegrown star: five Silver Sluggers, four All-Star appearances and a pair of World Series rings. The notion of a long-term left side of the infield with him and Devers felt natural to a Red Sox fanbase grappling with last-place finishes in two of the last three seasons wedged around an ALCS appearance.

With Bogaerts gone, the focus naturally turned to Devers, who benefited greatly from the mega deals awarded this winter. Aaron Judge led the list with $360 million from the New York Yankees. Trea Turner got $300 million from Philadelphia and Bogaerts got $280 million from the Padres. And Carlos Correa agreed to two $300 million deals, though medical weaknesses have his status in limbo.

Beyond Bogaerts this winter, World Series hero Nathan Eovaldi left for the Texas Rangers and the Red Sox failed to sign multiple free-agent targets. Instead, the Red Sox reallocated resources to the roster by signing Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida on a five-year, $90 million deal, relievers Kenley Jansen (two-year, $32 million) and Chris Martin (two-year, $17 million), third baseman, added Justin Turner at two years for $21 million and starter Corey Kluber at one year and $10 million.

Devers will be the cornerstone of the roster and the face of the franchise for the Red Sox’s new era. Although the third baseman has improved defensively over the course of his career, he could potentially switch to first base or designated hitter later on. But as long as his swing and production is even a reflection of what he’s done in his young career, it doesn’t matter what position he plays.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.