Rafael Devers on Triston Casas getting an extension: 'I want to play with him for a long time'
Rafael Devers has been uncharacteristically outspoken the last 24 hours, calling out ownership and the front office on the club’s lackluster offseason.
While publicly voicing his opinion on the offseason to reporters from JetBlue Park, Devers also made it clear he would like to play with first baseman Triston Casas longterm.
“They haven’t told me anything, but if that’s the case, I hope they come to an agreement because I want to play with him for a long time,” Devers told reporters through team translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “We know the type of player that he is, we know how good he is and I do believe that he’s going to be one of the best players in the league. That will be something great for the organization.”
Casas told reporters earlier this week that he and the club have held discussions on a contract extension this winter. The 24-year-old made it clear that the offer was not enticing.
“(An extension) that sets me and my family for the rest of my life,” Casas told reporters, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. “I don’t know what that looks like. I’m low maintenance. I don’t need a lot. So I got a small family. I don’t need much but something that I think would suffice (for) the work that I put into it my whole life would be nice.”
Boston extended Devers last offseason to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. The Red Sox haven’t had the strongest track record of signing their homegrown stars to extensions. Former top stars Jon Lester, Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts all left the team.
Casas told reporters that he is not entirely sure if the team’s past history of not signing top stars in the past will weigh in his decision on whether he’ll sign a longterm pact with the Red Sox.
“Obviously I’m really curious about it,” he said of contract negotiations. “I hear about it from other outlets in the league. It seems enticing, but it’s really nothing that I need. Thankfully, my family’s well off. I have money from generations. So yeah, anything that they’d be giving me is something that I wouldn’t be needing anyway. So that’s why it just makes my job so easy, clear-headed to just come out and play the game that I need to, that I have no pressure to try to make money or need any more than I have.”
Devers comments on calling out the team for their weak offseason and mentioning he wants to play with Casas for a long time, puts John Henry on alert.
Current and former players are now becoming outspoken, Craig Breslow admitted the offseason hasn’t gone how he had liked, Sam Kennedy is telling the media the team has parameters on what they can spend and Tom Werner expected a “full throttle” offseason. Something has changed on how the Red Sox are operating and everything points to the owner.
