Red Sox can't afford to wait on extending Adley Rutschman after trade deadline blockbuster

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Red Sox can't afford to wait on extending Adley Rutschman after trade deadline blockbuster originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Now that the trade deadline is over, the Red Sox have walked away with a few stars and role players that could make their team true contenders. Most of them come with multiple years of team control, except for the best player they picked up: Adley Rutschman.

The three-time All-Star only has a year and a half left on his contract, and with the uncertainty of next season, that time might be even less.

A 2027 lockout is almost guaranteed​

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The idea of a salary cap has been proposed for a while now, but the MLB has never forced the issue with the MLBPA. However, now might finally be the time, thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

L.A. made the biggest move of the deadline by trading for two-time Cy Young, Tarik Skubal. With him, their rotation consists of two two-time Cy Youngs, a four-time MVP, a World Series MVP, and a veteran All-Star. That’s just their first string as well, as they have two more All-Stars that aren’t in the rotation, and that’s not even mentioning their All-Star lineup.

Basically, since the MLB has no salary cap, the Dodgers are able to put together a team of MVPs, Cy Youngs, and All-Stars that other teams say they can’t afford to do, which is probably going to lead to a lockout.

How this affects Rustchman and Boston​

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If the lockout were to occur, it could knock out the entire 2027 season. This means the next and final year of Rutschman’s contract would be completely wiped out, as contracts still are held valid during lockouts, but they aren’t paid if they extend into the season.

So, if the Red Sox don’t extend him by the end of this season, they’ve effectively traded Carlos Narvaez and multiple top prospects for six weeks of Adley Rutschman, who is still working his way back from the IL.

What does an extension look like?​

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Boston should make sure that it’s a long-term extension. The closest comp to Rutschman would be Cal Raleigh in terms of contract, as Raleigh signed his extension at the same age Rutschman is now. Also. both Rutschman and Raleigh are switch hitters, and what Rutschman lacks in offensive potential that Raleigh has, he makes up for in better overall defense.

Raleigh signed a six-year, $105 million extension with the Seattle Mariners. Due to his injury history and lower offensive potential, Rutschman should probably earn a little less than that. Something to the tune of six-years, and somewhere from $95 to $100 million. Hopefully, Boston gets on this, so they don’t lose a ton of their future for possibly six weeks of an All-Star catcher.

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