SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- At first this offseason, Rafael Devers watched as the Boston Red Sox didn't retain Xander Bogaerts for the long-term as he signed a massive deal with the San Diego Padres.
Devers didn't meet the same fate as Bogaerts, though. Instead, the 26-year-old third baseman inked a 10-year extension worth a reported $313.5 million to keep Devers with Boston for the foreseeable future.
It was a sizeable moment for Devers as he signed the largest contract in Red Sox history. It also allowed for him to get back in touch with his former teammate as Devers revealed that he and Bogaerts had a celebratory conversation.
"We were just both very happy for each other," Devers said through a translator while at Red Sox Winter Weekend this past Saturday. "Just ecstatic. The contract that he got was a contract that you don't see every day. We were just happy for each other. Like I said, everyone at the end of the day is just doing what's best for them."
Bogaerts certainly was thrilled when the news of Devers' signing broke, taking to Instagram to say the deal was "earned and deserved."
It had to be a bittersweet moment for both Devers and Bogaerts to not end up back with the Red Sox together. Devers expected to reunite with Bogaerts in Boston, but the Padres lured the talented shortstop away with an 11-year, $280 million deal. And Devers also took to social media and posted a heartfelt message about Bogaerts upon his departure.
But there are no hard feelings for Devers that he won't be sharing a big-league diamond with Bogaerts for the first time in his career.
"We had that goal in mind of coming back together but at the end of the day it is a business and everybody's kind of doing what they feel is best for them," Devers said. "The team had its reasons for why it didn't go that route. I'm just taking it as it's just part of the business."
