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4:45pm: It’s an eight-year, $50MM pact, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, as relayed by Ian Browne of MLB.com.
2:01pm: The Crimson Sox have agreed to an extension with outfielder/second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. He’s the second younger, core participant the workforce has locked up prior to now few weeks; Boston additionally signed righty Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55MM deal in late March.
Rafaela, 23, has ranked among the many recreation’s prime 100 prospects getting into every of the previous two seasons. He made his massive league debut in 2023 received the middle subject job in Boston with a robust spring displaying in 2024. Via his first 124 massive league plate appearances, Rafaela is a .239/.282/.389 hitter, although his minor league monitor document options way more promising numbers. Rafaela break up the vast majority of the 2023 marketing campaign between Double-A and Triple-A, the place he logged a mixed .302/.349/.520 slash with 20 homers, 31 doubles, three triples and 36 stolen bases (in 49 tries).
Listed at simply 5’9″ and 152 kilos, Rafaela is small in stature however actually not brief on expertise. Scouting studies laud him as a possible plus heart fielder; Baseball America and MLB.com each name him a Gold Glove-caliber defender there, and The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote that Rafaela “has an opportunity to be probably the most worthwhile outfield defender in baseball” when rating him thirty second amongst all MLB prospects this spring. Rafaela {couples} that defensive upside with plus pace and sufficient energy to undertaking for double-digit dwelling runs within the massive leagues, even when he’s extra of a spot hitter than a real slugger.
Whereas Rafaela struck out as a usually manageable 21% clip within the higher minors final season, he doesn’t have a very affected person strategy on the plate. He walked in simply 5.4% of his plate appearances final season — his second straight minor league marketing campaign with a stroll charge round 5%. He’s drawn a free go in simply 4.8% of his massive league plate appearances so far. Barring an evolution in his strategy on the dish, Rafaela might submit middling on-base percentages within the majors, however his defensive prowess, pace and energy contributions ought to offset any potential OBP deficiency.
As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the pre-arbitration extensions for Rafalea and Bello mark a notable change in philosophy from a Crimson Sox membership that has eschewed long-term offers for gamers who’re comparatively unproven within the massive leagues. From 2012 via 2021, the Crimson Sox didn’t give out a single pre-arb extension. Their 2022 cope with righty Garrett Whitlock (4 years, $18.75MM with two membership choices) was their first extension for a participant previous to arbitration eligibility since Clay Buchholz means again in 2011.
The Sox haven’t shied away from extensions solely, however long-term offers for Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Chris Sale and Rick Porcello had been far dearer offers that got here after these gamers had solidified themselves as massive leaguers price annual values of $20MM or extra. Even the unique Bogaerts deal, which was thought of wildly club-friendly, was valued at six years and $120MM.
Maybe the eventual lack of Bogaerts, coupled with high-profile departures of Mookie Betts, Jon Lester and others over time, pushed Sox possession to turn out to be extra aggressive on early-career extensions. Possibly they’ve turn out to be more and more dissatisfied with dear free-agent offers that haven’t gone to plan (e.g. Trevor Story, David Price, Lucas Giolito). Or maybe they merely seemed on the rising value for younger expertise across the league and opted to turn out to be extra proactive. Regardless of the motive, they’re starting to lock up some promising and reasonably priced contributors to affix Devers in comprising the long-term core.
Rafaela is only one of a number of extension candidates on the Crimson Sox, and with two offers now hammered out, it appears more and more believable others might but comply with. Most notably, first baseman Triston Casas and righty Tanner Houck have each spoken about their openness to extensions. Different pre-arb gamers who might feasibly be thought of for long-term offers embody left fielder Jarren Duran and righty Kutter Crawford.
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