Tom Werner: ‘Implausible’ that Red Sox signed Rafael Devers because fans booed John Henry

BOSTON — Last Monday, Red Sox principal owner John Henry was booed loudly at Fenway Park during the Winter Classic. Two days later, reports surfaced that the Sox had reached a contract extension with star third baseman Rafael Devers.

Some believe those two events were related and that Henry caved to public pressure when he handed Devers a 10-year, $313.5 million contract that became official Wednesday. Others think there’s no connection at all. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle. While the Red Sox were already far down the road of extending Devers when Henry heard the boos last week, it’s clear the team’s owners are paying attention to public perception. The backlash from fans after the Sox failed to secure homegrown stars Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts in recent years was loud and persistent. The Red Sox were intent on not letting history repeat itself a third time.

Still, it’s probably too simplistic to think Henry was swayed by fans at the hockey game. More than two weeks before the event, he was part of a Red Sox contingent that traveled to the Dominican Republic to meet with Devers and present an offer greater than $300 million. On Wednesday, Henry wasn’t present for the press conference announcing Devers’ extension but team chairman Tom Werner responded to the boos Henry heard.

“If the narrative is that might have had an impact on our decision, that’s kind of implausible,” Werner said. “We’ve been trying to sign Raffy for a long time. By the way, owners get booed and that’s part of the deal. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. But the fact is we’re here today because Raffy wanted to make a long-term agreement and relationship with the Red Sox. We’re happy we didn’t have to hold our breath throughout the season.”

Devers, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Werner all described the Dec. 14 meeting that Henry attended in Santo Domingo as a key event in Boston’s pursuit of a Devers extension. In the mind of Werner, the key to sealing the deal was that the Red Sox showed strong interest in getting a deal done over a long period of time.

“It’s a long progression,” Werner said. “I think if there was an important event, it was our commitment to get this done. John flew down to Santo Domingo to demonstrate our desire. We’ve been having meetings with Raffy before that and then there were a lot of conversations after that. It was obviously critical for us that this player, who is a huge talent, stays with the Red Sox for a long time.”

Werner, who before Wednesday had not taken the stage at a press conference since Feb. 2020, acknowledged that he does read what’s written about the Red Sox and pays attention to the public perception of the club. He insisted that the Red Sox are not rebuilding and said he believes the club will compete in the American League East in 2023.

“Each year, we are one of the top payrolls in baseball. I don’t know whether we’re fourth, fifth or sixth. We’re not a small-market team and our fans expect us to be competitive,” Werner said. “We try to be competitive.

“We have the resources to be competitive,” he said. “We have the flexibility to be competitive and the desire to be competitive.”

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