Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox stressed how Rafael Devers was the organization's No. 1 priority heading into the offseason. Boston's chief baseball officer acknowledged it a number of times, even after the December departure of homegrown shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
And now with the Red Sox officially signing Devers to a historic 10-year contract extension, Bloom wants Red Sox Nation to know it's only the first step in the pursuit of sustained success.
Bloom and other members of the Red Sox organization addressed the media Wednesday at Fenway Park during a press conference for Devers, who now is under contract through 2034. After explaining Devers' extension and all that went into it, Bloom followed up with a message to Red Sox fans.
"One more thing I actually want to say, really, to our fans," Bloom told reporters, as seen on NESN. "You know, loving your favorite team has great moments. It's not always easy. And I know we've had some ups and downs, certainly in the last few years, and I know y'all are smart and you knew there would be ups and downs with where we stood and some of the things that we were going to have to go through.
"And you've been with us the whole way. When we've celebrated, you've celebrated with us. When we've hurt, you've hurt. And we know that. And we feel it. So I'm hoping today, when you think about what we always talked about and where we're going and this vision of a Red Sox organization that every year is consistently contending for championships, I'm hoping that vision is a little clearer for you today, knowing that this guy is going to be right at the middle of it, what we're going to do around him."
Bloom and chairman Tom Werner explained what made Devers a well-deserving recipient of a long-term pact from an organization recently criticized for not awarding them. Both spoke highly of Devers' on-field success and his character while Bloom also indicated how Devers' age (26) and contract figures led them to the result.
Bloom also suggested the Red Sox will continue to stay active this offseason, something that's especially important given the recent surgery of infielder Trevor Story. Story is expected to miss considerable time following his elbow procedure.
"I don't want to get into names because I don't want to forget anybody, but you know who we have," Bloom said in reference to Boston's roster. "The players that have joined us through free agency, players we've acquired whether through trade, Rule 5 (Draft) and players we've grown. That this staff here has grown. You know who we have and you know there's more coming.
"And you know it's not always linear. It's not always easy. We've taken a couple haymakers. You know what? We're probably going to take a couple more. This is baseball. It's not supposed to be easy. But I want to be clear: We're going to do this. It's going to be awesome. And we are going to get there and just want to thank all you for your support and hope it's a little clearer today."
