Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela Makes Bold Claim After Inking Extension

It didn’t take very long for Red Sox rookie Ceddanne Rafaela to ink his first big league contract extension, and he’s hoping the same can be said for his first major career achievement.

He wants to bring a World Series title to Boston.

Rafaela officially signed his extension with the Red Sox on Wednesday, tying him to the organization through 2031. He arrived at Fenway Park later in the afternoon to face reporters for the first time since coming into generational wealth, and made a bold claim about where he intended to be at the end of his deal.

“In 8 years? I will have (won) a World Series,” Rafaela said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “That’s for sure.”

Red Sox fans will take it.

Boston has made sure to prioritize retaining its young studs, inking both Rafaela and pitcher Brayan Bello to extensions early this season. It’s something Red Sox manager Alex Cora is in favor of, knowing how quickly the Atlanta Braves reaped the benefits of the same strategy.

“It’s great for the organization,” Cora said. “… We’ve seen this model down south. It set up that organization for success for a long time.”

Rafaela, 23, is the youngest player on the Red Sox’s active roster and joined Mookie Betts as the only players in the last five decades to start each of Boston’s first three games of a season in center field at that age or younger. The Curaçao native is slashing .233/.276/.379 thus far in his big league career, totaling two home runs, two triples, seven doubles, four stolen bases and 10 RBIs across 39 games.

He’ll look to improve on those marks while trying to help the Red Sox win a World Series at some point over the next eight seasons.