Boston Red Sox fans react to report they are galaxies apart in contract negotiations with Rafael Devers: "Sell the f***ng team what a joke"

The Boston Red Sox's offseason has gone from bad to worse, as reports indicate they are unlikely to retain Rafael Devers. Devers is a two-time All-Star entering the prime of his career and is set to become a free agent after the 2023 season. There was optimism that he could be extended before hitting free agency. Unfortunately, recent reports indicate that this is not the likely outcome.

This has become an increasingly troubling trend for the Red Sox, and their fans are fed up with it. They are one of the most historic teams in baseball, but now seem incapable of retaining their homegrown stars. A good developmental system will produce players that deserve to be paid the "big bucks". However, the Red Sox have not been the ones making those types of deals of late.

Joon Lee of ESPN provided an update on the negotiations between the team and Devers via Twitter.

This is the worst-case scenario Boston Red Sox fans feared after Xander Bogaerts signed with the San Diego Padres. Teams like the Padres, New York Yankees, and New York Mets are spending money now to win championships. The Red Sox could be in that tier of spending, but choose not to. This is understandably and unbelievably frustrating.

After a disappointing 2022 season, this is not the kind of news the Boston Red Sox fan base was hoping for. After finishing in last place in the American League East, the lineup was expected to improve. Now it seems like it might be on the decline instead.

Much of the anger and frustration is directed towards the team's ownership. At the end of the day, they make the final decisions and set out a budget for the front office to follow. If they don't want to spend the money necessary to re-sign Rafel Devers, they won't re-sign Rafel Devers.

If the Boston Red Sox don't make significant strides soon, they risk angering their passionate fan base even further.

Failing to re-sign Rafael Devers would be a huge mistake by the Boston Red Sox

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Not only would the Red Sox lose an All-Star caliber player from their lineup, other players on the team would know they aren't likely to receive a big contract. This could lead to a level of indifference in the clubhouse that leads to losses.

This could prove to be one of the most important contract negotiations in recent Red Sox history, and they need to make the right decisions.