Change is inevitable. The Boston Red Sox understand this quite well, having traded homegrown stars like Nomar Garciaparra, Jon Lester and Mookie Betts during a highly successful two-decade run that includes four World Series titles.
Still, moving on can be quite painful in some instances. And while Red Sox principal owner John Henry can't guarantee right now, midway through the 2022 Major League Baseball season, that Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers will remain in Boston for their entire careers, it's clear the organization would like to keep the left side of its infield intact. It's a matter of finding common ground with the players.
"It takes two to make a deal. I think it's clear both of them want to be here. We want them here," Henry recently told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. "We made efforts in the past to try to sign players that we weren't able to sign. It's not 100% our fault when we don't end up signing a player. We've signed players where it's really worked out. We've signed others that, it's our job to try to sign the right players. Frankly, over the last 20 years, we haven't done it (every time), so we've had to break teams up.
"The key thing I think with a long-term deal is to make it with the right players. For us at this point, both Raffy and Xander are two players we would love to have. In Xander's case, it could be till the end of his career. But players have rights and you have to respect that."
Bogaerts can opt out of his contract and test free agency this offseason, a probable scenario given his continued production at age 29 and the likelihood of him landing a more lucrative deal on the open market, either with the Red Sox or another franchise.
Devers, meanwhile, is under contract through the 2023 season. So, his situation isn't quite as urgent. But there's no denying his impact, especially with the 25-year-old again posting huge numbers for Boston.
Ultimately, the Red Sox need to do what's best for the franchise. Just as Bogaerts and Devers need to do what's best for them personally. Will that result in one or both sticking around long term?
It remains to be seen, of course, but there's mutual interest in extending the relationships.
