Over the past few years the Atlanta Braves have become the envy of the baseball world, locking up numerous homegrown All-Stars to team-friendly, long-term extensions that will ensure the Braves remain championship contenders through the rest of the decade, if not longer.

The Red Sox haven’t been shy about their desire to emulate that strategy, and over the past month they’ve begun turning that talk into action.

Only a few weeks after locking up starting pitcher Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55 million contract, the Red Sox struck again Wednesday by agreeing to an eight-year, $50 million extension with infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. The deal covers the 2024-31 seasons and includes a club option for 2032, and Rafaela can also earn additional bonuses if he achieves certain performance benchmarks.

Red Sox officially announce Ceddanne Rafaela’s eight-year contract extension

At 23 years old, Rafaela is the youngest player on the big league roster and one of the most unproven players to ever receive this level of commitment from the Red Sox. Yet while the club acknowledges Rafaela still has a lot of development ahead of him, Red Sox officials believe he could potentially become a championship-caliber player and someone they need to ensure sticks around.

"We've talked a lot about identifying those players who represent cornerstones of a great team, one that can compete for World Series championships year in and year out, and we need to act aggressively in pursuing them," said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. "We were able to get two over the line, they are difficult, but we should be really excited about them and we should celebrate them."

But why Rafaela, and why now? Breslow said they're confident in his defensive floor and his ability to impact games with both his glove and his speed. Beyond that, they believe he offers "significant offensive upside," and that his quality of contact and ability to drive the ball are "really encouraging."

Alex Cora echoed that sentiment, saying Rafaela needs to improve his swing decisions but he believes he can hit for power, especially as he continues to physically mature.

Signing players like Bello and Rafaela doesn't come without risk. There's always the chance they could get hurt or fall short of the club's projections. But if they do pan out — the way guys like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies did for the Braves — they could transform the club's outlook for years to come.

"It's great for the organization. When you can make moves like that it prepares a path to whatever the organization wants to do in the future," Cora said. "We've seen this model down south, and it set up that organization to be successful for a long time."

There is risk for the player as well, especially if Rafaela develops into a superstar and finds himself grossly underpaid by the end of the deal. Look no further than Acuña, who is still under club control for four more years (two years plus two club options) and will only make $17 million annually during that time. Had Acuña held off he would have hit free agency this winter and likely would have commanded a contract in excess of $300 million.

Rafaela said he understood the pros and cons of signing the extension, but at the end of the day, taking the deal was an easy choice.

"I always wanted to be here," said Rafaela, who was a lifelong Red Sox fan growing up in Curacao. "I want to play here for a long time, so it wasn't a hard decision."

As for what Red Sox fans can expect over the next eight years?

"I can say before eight years we'll have a World Series," Rafaela said. "That's for sure."

While Craig Breslow wouldn't close the door on the possibility, he acknowledged there probably won't be any more pre-arbitration extensions like Bello's or Rafaela's coming until after the season.

"I don't see anything that's really close right now," Breslow said. "I do think it makes sense at some point to focus on the season and give players some clarity around what they're trying to accomplish every day and give us a chance to assess more broadly what we're trying to accomplish and what our vision is. Wouldn't ever say never but I think it's unlikely.”

The Red Sox are known to have engaged in discussions with first baseman Triston Casas and right-hander Tanner Houck, but the sides remain far apart.