Red Sox’s Devers agrees to $4.5M deal

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a $4,575,000, one-year deal with third baseman Rafael Devers that avoided salary arbitration.

The 24-year-old Devers had a breakout season in 2019, when he batted .311 with 32 homers and 115 RBIs, leading the majors with 54 doubles and 359 total bases and finishing 12th in the AL MVP voting.

But last year was a setback: He hit .263 while committing 14 errors at third base — the most in the majors. The next closest was 11. Devers earned $256,481 prorated of a $692,500 salary last season.

With Devers’ deal the Red Sox have come to terms with all their arbitrationeligible players this offseason. In December Boston agreed to one-year contracts with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez ($8.3 million), right-handers Matt Barnes ($4.5 million), Ryan Brasier ($1.25 million) and Austin Brice ($870,000) and catcher Kevin Plawecki ($1.6 million).

YOGI BERRA TO BE FEATURED ON NEW STAMP

WASHINGTON — Yogi Berra will soon be all over — your mail, that is.

The New York Yankees great known for his funny malaprops will be featured on a new stamp this year, the U.S. Postal Service announced Friday, truly making him a man of letters.

A 10-time World Series champion as a player and three-time AL MVP, Berra filled baseball’s record book along with “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.”

Among his more notable Yogi-isms: “It ain’t over till it’s over” and “when you come to a fork in the road, take it” and “the future ain’t what it used to be.”