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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Boston Red Sox enjoyed some addition by subtraction this past season, as they embarked on a surprising surge in the standings after parting ways with franchise slugger Rafael Devers.
Without Devers in the lineup, the Red Sox moved into playoff position, though they fell to the New York Yankees in the wild card round. Now they will look to tweak the roster where they can in an effort to make a deeper run next year.
First and foremost, the team will need to decide what to offer to star third baseman Alex Bregman, who will be opting out of his contract. He will be seeking a long-term deal to stay in Boston, and the rest of the Red Sox offseason could largely be determined by what that looks like.
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But even as it works through negotiations with Bregman, the team has already decided to explore a new deal with polarizing outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who will become a free agent after the team exercised a $2.1 million club option on him for this past season.
“Though he’d mused about the possibility of retiring after the 2024 season, the 34-year-old plans to play in 2026 and has had informal talks with the Sox about a possible return, though he should have a healthy market given his production against lefties and strong clubhouse reputation,” Red Sox insider Alex Speier reported for The Boston Globe.
Refsnyder had a strong campaign, slashing .269/.354/.484, but a Red Sox logjam in the outfield raises some questions about just what his value to the team might be. If he’s willing to continue on with the Red Sox for a minimal deal, bringing him back would widely be considered a good move by the team. But if he commands a significant pay raise after a strong year, a return could be more of a controversial decision.
The Red Sox have a lot of roster decisions to make this winter, many of which will be more consequential than their decision on Refsnyder. But as a key role player who has spent the last four years in Boston, the veteran slugger’s next deal could come to polarize some Red Sox fans.
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