This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON -- It isn’t all that often that a player with less than 50 days of MLB service time signs an eight-year, $50 million contract as Ceddanne Rafaela just did with the Red Sox.

In cases like this, it takes both sides to feel comfortable with such an arrangement.

And here is a look at why this deal made sense for Rafaela and the Red Sox.

Financial security for his family
Rafaela was not a prized prospect coming out of Curaçao when the Red Sox signed him at the age of 16 for a bonus of $10,000. He didn’t grow up with much money and this contract gives him a chance to provide his family with the type of financial security they’ve never had.

“It's good to help your family,” Rafaela said. “I think that's what every son wants to do is help their mom and dad, and I feel pretty happy that I can do that.”

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was pleased that the two sides could find common ground on a contract that will help Rafaela’s family for decades to come.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Breslow said. “I know that while this is largely a baseball decision, there are certainly more considerations here. And the fact that Ceddanne is in a position to take care of his family generationally is not lost on us. At the same time, we recognize that with this comes the responsibility on his part to continue to develop, to continue to work hard. And I think it’s going to be a great partnership.”

Projecting offensive growth
It is well-known that Rafaela is already an elite defender in center field, while he's also an above-average fielder at shortstop and second base.

But his offense is very much a work in progress. In 40 MLB games (130 plate appearances), Rafaela’s batting line is .227/.269/.370 with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and 10 RBIs. So far, he has just six walks compared to 41 strikeouts.

“He has what we believe to be [a] pretty significant offensive upside,” Breslow said. “We've created a really strong development plan around him. We think that his quality of contact and ball flight are really encouraging and foretelling of offensive upside.”

Rafaela is still growing into his body. And once he fills out a little more, some more offensive pop could follow.

“He’s still maturing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We should do the before and after picture. I saw a picture of him when he signed. Right now, he looks like he gained like 100 pounds, to be honest with you. We’ve got to keep feeding him. He has a green light to eat. We’ve got a few guys here eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the dugout because they have to maintain their weight -- [David Hamilton] and Rafaela.

“In the case of Rafaela, he just needs to mature and get stronger. He’s gonna be one of those guys who will hit homers and steal bases. He’ll hit for average because he will put the ball in play and he's fast. Numbers-wise, I don't know [exactly], but he's gonna be a good offensive player.”

Defense doesn’t slump
Right now, Cora and Breslow both love Rafaela in center field, so they are hesitant to move him to the middle infield for anything other than a spot start or a late-inning substitution. This remains the case even though Trevor Story is out for the season due to a severe left shoulder injury that will require surgery on Friday.

But there could become a time when Rafaela’s most valuable trait is his versatility. Keep in mind that Roman Anthony, Boston’s No. 2 prospect, is a center fielder who might not be all that far away from making his MLB debut.

“There are so many places that you can put him in the field where he's going to help us win the game on defense,” Breslow said of Rafaela.

Work ethic
Given that Rafaela has already been in the organization for close to seven years, the brass feels comfortable knowing that he will continue to work to reach his goals.

“We know [Ceddanne] better than anyone else,” said Breslow. “We've had guys here with relationships with him for [going on] seven years. We've seen the maturation both physically and emotionally, the work ethic, the willingness to move all over the diamond, to take ground balls, to take fly balls.

“And then, I think being able to outline a development plan on day one of Spring Training and have him go out while he's competing to try to make an Opening Day roster and implement it -- and have some success with it -- [that makes him] the type of bet you want to make.”