Extending Rafael Devers Gives the Aimless Red Sox a Direction

Devers ranks second in the majors with 1,078 total bases over the last four seasons.

Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports

In a vacuum, Rafael Devers’s 11-year, $331-million extension with the Red Sox is a smart move to retain one of the brightest third basemen in the game.

But in context? It feels like something bigger. The Devers extension seems almost essential: a move by the Red Sox to show they do have a sense of competitive direction right now and they’ll still pay what it takes to retain one of their young stars, despite recent evidence to the contrary.