The baseball world remains focused on last night’s stunning blockbuster that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco. There’ll surely be more from the Giants once Devers reports to the team tomorrow, but there’s already been plenty of note out of Boston.
The trade was obviously driven by the deterioration of the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox. That stemmed from the three-time All-Star’s frustration with being moved off third base when the Sox signed Alex Bregman. Devers initially indicated he was unwilling to change positions before begrudgingly agreeing to serve as the designated hitter. He was more adamant in refusing to even take pregame reps at first base after the Sox lost Triston Casas to a season-ending knee injury. He went public with his displeasure with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow after the team approached him about considering it.
Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe posted last night that the team felt that Devers’ franchise-record $313.5MM contract came “with responsibilities to do what is right for the team” which the infielder had not met. More specifically, Sean McAdam of MassLive writes that the Sox feared that Devers’ frustrations with the position changes would send a poor message to their younger players — especially their talented rookie trio of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.
Breslow alluded to the clubhouse culture in a Zoom call with reporters this evening (YouTube link to 38-minute conversation). “It’s the willingness to step up and sacrifice at times of need and essentially do whatever is necessary to help the team win,” the former MLB reliever said when speaking generally about successful teams of which he’d been a part. “I think that’s the identity, this relentless pursuit of winning, that we’re looking for.” He declined to directly answer a follow-up question from ESPN’s Jeff Passan as to which areas Devers was not meeting those standards.
CEO Sam Kennedy and Breslow repeated multiple times on the call that the team and Devers could no longer “find alignment.” Breslow indicated that Devers did not formally request a trade, though he added that “there were times during the course of conversations with Raffy’s camp where they had indicated that perhaps a fresh start would be best for both sides.”
This was evidently under consideration for a while. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey told the San Francisco beat last night that they’d been in conversations with the Sox about Devers for a few weeks (relayed by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). While Breslow did not provide any specifics on the talks, McAdam reported this morning that the Braves, Blue Jays and Padres had also inquired about Devers’ availability.
Ultimately, those teams weren’t willing to top the Giants’ offer. San Francisco assumed the remaining eight and a half seasons and more than $250MM remaining on Devers’ contract. They sent back starter Kyle Harrison, two prospects (including last year’s first rounder James Tibbs III), and righty Jordan Hicks. There’s some element of salary offset with Hicks’ inclusion, as he’s under contract for $12.5MM annually through 2027. San Francisco signed Hicks with an eye towards stretching him out as a starter, but he failed to hold a rotation role in either of his first two seasons. They’d moved him back to the bullpen before he landed on the injured list with toe inflammation early this month.
Breslow described Hicks as “a dominant late-inning reliever,” suggesting they don’t intend to build him back out for another rotation attempt. Harrison was optioned to Triple-A Worcester but figures to get a rotation look later in the season. It seems clear the Red Sox accepted a significant downgrade in the short term, though Breslow tried to make the case that “there is a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would have.”
While that seems unlikely, Hicks and Harrison are potential short-term contributors. “We needed to create a more functional roster and give certain guys more playing time, be able to rotate through the DH spot and potentially match up there,” Breslow said. “This is a roster that certainly has some needs — starting pitching, bullpen help — and we think that we addressed some of those in the return. Additionally, I do think that it gives us some resources as we head toward the deadline.”
RosterResource now calculates the Sox’s luxury tax number right around the $241MM base threshold. Cot’s Baseball Contracts has them slightly below the line at roughly $238MM. Any tax payment would be minimal since they didn’t pay the CBT last season (and therefore aren’t subject to repeat payor penalties). The decision whether to exceed the threshold could have an impact on next year’s payroll and compensation if they sign any free agents who decline a qualifying offer.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported this morning that the Red Sox continue to view themselves as deadline buyers. Breslow didn’t commit to a direction six weeks in advance of July 31, but he stated that this trade ” is in no way signifying a waving of the white flag on 2025. We are as committed as we were six months ago to putting a winning team on the field, to competing for the division and making a deep postseason run.”
The Sox entered tonight’s series opener in Seattle with a 37-36 record that has them half a game back in the Wild Card race. They’d been riding high, winning five straight and coming off a sweep of the Yankees. While the trade had seemingly been coming together for weeks, making the deal after arguably the Sox’s best series of the season (culminating in a game in which Devers homered off Max Fried) was certainly jarring.
Tim Healey of The Boston Globe was among those to chronicle the reactions from Sox players before tonight’s game. “Probably just as shocked as everyone else. That’s the best way to describe it, didn’t really see it coming,” Trevor Story told reporters. “The timing of it comes at a weird time. We thought we were playing really good.” Jarren Duran and Garrett Crochet also acknowledged being taken aback, with Crochet calling it “a shock for sure, after the run we just had this past week.”
Nevertheless, the prevailing sentiment was that the team is confident about the players who remain on the roster. Crochet and Walker Buehler each stated that the front office did not owe the clubhouse an explanation. “From the outside perspective, that would seem like a logical thing,” Buehler said. “But this is part of the business. We have no reason to get an explanation. They made a decision. Our job remains the same.”
I get why Boston fans are mad, but ultimately this seems like it had to happen. Why on Earth Devers refuses to just play 1B when he’s making millions I will not understand. The Red Sox lost their 1B, added a bat who is best served playing 3B, and have too many DHs. I’m sure they figured Devers might just be reasonable, but he wasn’t. I get on them a lot, but I hardly put this on them.
Devers response to this was poor but treating your star player like a utility infielder wasn’t exactly strategic on the Sox part, they are most definitely a worse off team today because of that.
If they wanted Devers to play 1B they should have started that process in the spring and traded Casas to clear space. There are very few examples of star players being asked to do this
But a lot of star players aren’t one of the worst defenders at their position in the majors, which let’s face it was why Bregman was signed.
David Ortiz:
“No one is indispensable on a team. The only way to become indispensable is by doing things the right way, all the way around. You need to be available. I think that marked the end of the relationship between the Red Sox and Devers. You have to be smart. A player’s worst enemy is his ego. And guess what teams do with your ego? They buy it.”
x.com/BOSSportsGordo/status/1934655556423180493
I was thinking that Devers was justified to be unhappy. However, I’m going to trust Ortiz’s take on the situation.
Dusty, listen to the press conference. ALL of the bad treatment was BY Devers, not by the Red Sox. He refused to do what was in the best interest of winning.
Devers was injured. He couldn’t play any position in spring training. They couldn’t start then.
There are hundreds of examples of star players players being asked to move position and doing so willingly and without complaint. A former Red Sox, future HOF player Mookie Betts is just one of hundreds of examples of that happening. A huge number of the top players in baseball have been asked to move position over the last few seasons. Harper. Judge, Betts, Tucker, Rodriguez, Semien, Tatis, Bogaerts, Machado, and many, many others.
What there are no examples of is star players coming out to the media and refusing to move position.
Hundreds of examples but you can’t even name 5 proper ones. Moving outfield positions is not a position change, signing in free agency with agreement to move positions is a players choice, having a significant injury and moving positions is also not applicable, betts and tatis are the only good examples you were able to muster up.
And you’re also wrong about your last statement, no surprise
Just off the top of my head machado, tulo, jeter, soriano, gleyber, ramirez all refused to move positions at some point.
Less examples of this, because of course teams usually wouldn’t put their stars in this position.
Altuve is playing LF, Tatis is playing RF, Chipper Jones played LF, Freddie Freeman played 3B, Miguel Cabrera played 3B.
Cabrera came up a 3b
Moving outfield positions is not a position change
Moving from left field to right field is a position change my guy
Most outfielders get reps across the outfield, or at the corners in the minors. It’s not a new position, my guy
It’s not a new position my guy
I didn’t say new position my guy. Lol
Roberto Alomar refused to move from 2B to SS with the Padres. He was a future Hall of Famer @ 2B. At SS? Maybe not was his logic. He was traded to the Blue Jays.
Cabrera was signed as a shortstop, moved to third base, then both outfield corners before settling in at first base for his first few years for the Tigers before moving back over to third base when they signed Prince Fielder. Albert Pujols was drafted as a 3B, saw time at all 4 corners for the first 3 years of his career, and the finally settled in at first base in 2004. Jim Thome, similarly to Cabrera, was drafted as a shortstop, moved to first base when he was 26, and then designated hitter when he was 35. Craig Biggio went from catcher to second base, to outfield, then back to second base in his career. Bryce Harper moves to first base to accommodate Kyle Schwarber, someone who went from catcher to left field, then designated hitter. Marcus Semien finishes third in MVP voting as a shortstop in 2019, but was still willing to move to second base in 2021. Both Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron saw more time at first base as they got older.
I think both parties are at fault here. Boston’s ownership/front office could have handled it better. But Devers has balked at every attempt to move him off third base. I get it’s a position he likes and is familiar with, but even franchise players get moved off their original position all the time.
mlb1225, All good examples, except for maybe Semien. He was a FA, and willingly signed with a team that had already signed a SS. He went to the Rangers knowing, and accepting, that he’d play 2B.
I agree that both sides could have handled it better. Once the resentment started with the Bregman signing, and the team not communicating their plans, it just snow-balled. I think if the Sox had gone to Devers, and told him beforehand that they were signing Bregman, that they wanted Bregman at 3B, and hoped Devers would be willing to DH and start taking reps at 1B, things might have been different. But it was handled in an ad hoc fashion. Players want to know what’s going on.
What are you talking about Dusty. He named 9 of them. All of them moved positions, most moved from the If to the Of and several moved from infield positions where they were one of the better defensive player in the league to accomodate someone better.
Do you ever tire of sounding so ill-informed and argumentative?
Not a single one of the players that you mentioned refused to move, especially not while talking to a reporter. Let alone did it twice. Machado moved position from SS to 3B. Tulowitzki was never asked to move. He was one of the best defensive players at his position so no reason to move him. Soriano moved several times. He was a SS to start his career then moved to 2B then moved to the OF.
EVERYTHING you said is wrong. But you keep arguing the point long after multiple people have shown you that you are full of cattle dung. Why? Why argue when even you know with absolute certainty that you are wrong?
Then MOVED to 1B. Without refusing to play there. He did what was in the best interest of his team winning the games.
He first went to the Blue Jays in 2021. Sure, he struggled in 2020, but nobody was taking those 60 games with the same grain of salt they would take his 2019 season with. Semien was still willing to move to the other side of 2B for a short term deal.
Early in his career, Alomar did play shortstop. When he was in AA in the San Diego Padres system in 1987 he was moved to shortstop and played 113 games there. He made enough progress that he was considered a potential successor to Garry Templeton at that position. When he was called up the Padres still had the then 32 year old Templeton at SS and Templeton was coming off the best defensive season in the majors at the position. It would have been pretty stupid to move Templeton for the rookie. Alomar later played a few games at SS in the majors in 1990 when needed because of injuries.
Obviously, he didn’t refuse to play SS. He was just a better 2B than a SS and the teams he played for played him in the position he was best suited for.
It’s really irrelevant how the front office handled things and whether they did enough in the off season. What it boils down to is that devers was asked to do something to help the team that was within reason and he refused. Even David Ortiz basically called him childish.
It’s absolutely not irrelevant how the front office is perceived to be treating its star players.
“Devers response to this was poor but treating your star player like a utility infielder”
Utility infielders don’t make $300 million lmao. He put his fragile ego above the team. If you are the face of a team and they ask you to do something, you at least try. If the Mets asked Lindor to be their catcher, he’d be behind the plate tomorrow. He wouldn’t be happy about it but he’d do it.
You have absolutely zero to back that up.
The Mets aren’t dumb enough to ask their star player to move to a new position in season. No team does this, if anything teams usually avoid this and let their stars rot in the position when there is clearly better defensive players on the roster.
If the Mets traded for Hoerner for some reason, can you honestly tell me they would move Lindor off SS? Absolutely not, if you think otherwise you’re lying to yourself
Dusty, actually he does. He has a 48-minute press conference that this entire article is about to back it up. go listen to the press conference.
Never underestimate how dumb the Mets can be….
Linder won’t be catching anytime soon.
Did Jeter ever move off of shortstop? He did not.
They did. It was reported that they asked him to take ground balls at third and at first but he declined. Devers has every right to decide he wants to be dh only but he and the Red Sox handled it badly. Look at star players Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper they moved positions to accommodate the team in season as well.
He does not have the right to refuse to play where the team asks him too. There is nothing the uniform player contract that gives him that right. Devers handled it poorly. The team did what they felt was in the best interest of the team winning more games. Only Devers f’d up.
Harper moved to 1B after TJ because he couldnt play the OF.
Betts is a good example but a rare one, he’s a freak of nature athletically.
Yeah but I mean just going on stature they didn’t have to move but they chose to move because they are team players. Again Devers didn’t have to move but I can just imagine that it probably wasnt good for morale in the clubhouse not having a team guy idk just my opinion.
I don’t disagree overall my point was just that the Red Sox ownership has a big part to play in this and could have handled it better.
Didn’t think that was a controversial opinion but anyways
Yeah I agree with you Boston handled it bad.
Betts came up as an infielder, moved to RF before he became a star and now gets to play SS like he probably always dreamed of. Probably has a lot to do with it
“Moving outfield positions is not a position change”
so what your saying is nick castellanos should play center to free up a spot for schwarber back in left field or even put schwarber to handle center? Saying all outfield positions are the same is the silliest thing i have heard especially with teams being desperate for even a league average hitting center fielder.
Next your going to tell me all infielders are the same and let lindor take a few games off and alonso will take care of short.
Also not included in this list is damn near every player on the padres came up as a short stop from tatis jr, machado, boegerts, heck jackson merrill moved to center in less than half a season or are you saying those guys were / arent star players. Even profar last season is a former shortstop.
How about Pujols moved between lf, to 3b to 1b to dh. You said Cabrera doesnt count but he moved from 3b to the of back to 3b then to 1b and then dh. Sounds like he definitely should count unless you are saying he is not a star player maybe? Call Ripkin Jr moved from short to 3b. Arod moved to 3rd for Jeter even though he was the better fielder, Vlad Guerrero Jr, Joe Mauer, the list goes on and on and on.
A guy Red Sox fans know named mookie Betts was asked to go to 2 different infield positions after being a gold glove right fielder and he didn’t complain one bit and got a ring because of it…
I’m not saying everyone has the mind of mookie but devers knows what’s best for the team and he chose what is best for himself… by getting angry
Those are different situations. The Dodgers’ motivation for asking Betts to move was not because they signed a guy who could play RF and didn’t communicate their intentions. Betts is a better all-around athlete and played CF, RF and 2B for the Sox. Devers never played a single game at 1B in either the MLs or MiLs.
And who’s to say Devers wouldn’t have tried if the seed of resentment hadn’t been planted by the Bregman signing and the lack of communication.
You have a lot of years to enjoy this great game. I can tell by your post here. Enjoy it. And enjoy players that play for their teammates
What about injuries. What if Casas got hurt?. What if Bregman got hurt. You gotta be able to count on your guys. Especially the one in the clubhouse making 300mil hoping he’s a leader…
Dark – Do you honestly WANT to understand?
Then read this article: blogs.fangraphs.com/the-red-sox-are-pulling-the-wr…
There’s only three possible reasons why some people here are taking management’s side:
1) They don’t know the chain of events
2) They already hated Devers
3) They are front office suckups
I have faith it’s #1 that applies to you. Once you read that article, you should understand.
This is total BS. I don’t fit any of those 3. Devers is purely a selfish child and he doesn’t respect his own team. It’s a sign of the times I guess. I had no problem with devers before spring training, now good riddance.
Tang – What exactly about the article is BS? What part of the article I quoted is BS?
It’s all there, laid out in great detail for you to read.
Your opinions are so far fetched. I swear I’ve muted fever pitch many times but he keeps coming back. The I’m right,your wrong attitude is insufferable. By the way, the actual “Fever Pitch guy” is a Yankee fan.
Fever Pitch Guy — They take management side because that’s the story they’ve been presented. Had the story been, Billionaire Red Sox owner dumps best hitter for salary relief, they’d agree. People love to spout what other people tell them to believe. Thinking for oneself isn’t part of the herd game.
He made the situation awkward especially when he’s never been a good fielding 3rd baseman to begin with.
Jays and Vlad were in similar position.
Jays informed Vlad in camp he was moving to 1B/dh, gave him some time to acclimate himself to the position, and traded their other 1B.
I’m not sticking up for Devers in any way, him sulking and being an issue after is 100% on him, but Red Sox could have avoided this situation or at the very least got a lot more out of the asset had they not sold at an issue point
Vlad was healthy coming into camp. Devers could not even hit in game situations until mid-March. Casas was healthy and expected to hold down 1B. Devers was expected to be the DH because not only was he the worst 3B in baseball defensively when healthy, he came into camp not physically able play 3B or any other position. It’s WHY they signed Bregman. Are you really that stupid? Yes, you do keep sucking up to Devers.
You’re so emotional man, my goodness go touch some grass.
I can’t wait for them to lose Bregman and then have no 3b next year and no FA is going to come close to thinking about going to Boston to play for Breslow. Don’t waste all your tears on me my man, you’re going to need them
Adams – Kinda like an old dog making a situation awkward by growling after it’s owner kicked him while he was sleeping …. right?
Let me guess … after the 7th lie, Devers should have bent over and said “Thank you sir, may I have another”
such a strange take. devers was reportedly upset with KC for offering to take grounders at 1b after devers told the fo to “do their job and acquire a 1b”. idc how big a star someone is, their absolute first priority should be to help your team win. if you’re not willing to do whatever it takes to help your team win you’re letting everyone in that clubhouse down. everybody on the team has an obligation to put the team first and pull together with the rest of your teammates and work towards the same goal. Anything less makes you a poor teammate and whether anybody would say so publicly, I guarantee his teammates were disappointed in devers and felt betrayed
wow. If what you say stp is accurate, what an indictment of Devers’ character. wow
Why in the hell he would agree to play anywhere outside of 3B, if he decided to stay in Boston after receiving specific guarantees from the club? He didn’t needed that extension back in 2023, but Red Sox needed it desperately. Devers could get even better contact as a free agent, but he did his club a favor. And then, 2 years later club decided to take their guarantees back and started mumbling about responsibilities and sacrifices. Because what? Because they have a new front office boss?
Devers acted absolutely right. He behaved like any self-respecting, highly qualified worker who knows his own worth, knows that he is in demand, who has self-esteem, pride and a pair of steel balls between his legs to make his idiot boss take him into account and respect his opinion.
Darth – Very well said, thank you!!!
And people either “forget” or simply don’t know, Raffy played in a lot of pain last year as the shoulder injury caused his performance to drop …. but rather than call it a season and keep his BA and OPS near the top, he continued to play while injured because his team needed him.
To then be disrespected the way he was, to be called “selfish” after what he did last season, it’s absolutely horrific …. but par for the course with this Red Sox front office and manager.
Oh please. “Disrespected”. Ask his teammates about disrespect by not being a professional and doing what is asked for his team. Maybe he should sit down and ask Bryce Harper about playing hurt yet showing up and learning to play a new position than be willing to move back to the outfield if the Phillies would get another 1st baseman.
andy – Sorry but that’s incredibly ignorant and downright comical.
If you followed the Red Sox and Devers at all, you’d know he played hurt last year while his numbers dropped ….. TO HELP THE TEAM.
All his teammates had great respect for him doing that as long as he could, rather than calling it a season in June.
Ignorant and comical?
You’re the one bringing up last year. Good on him. How about this year? Do the same for your team. Show up. Be the leader and the face of the franchise that you’re paid to be; not a self centered guy who says “it’s my position”. By the way, a position you’ve been one of the worst in the majors at for years
andy – I’ve been criticizing the team for YEARS for not insisting he learn first base.
Whose fault is it that all those years Raffy was never forced to learn any position other than 3B?
Hint: Not Raffy’s fault.
Why do you always give a free pass to management for all their bad decisions and unethical behavior?
I’m not quite sure where you see in any of my comments where I gave management a “free pass”. They have some blood on their hands no doubt. It’s just this whole making Devers out to be a victim thing is a lame defense of a guy who wasn’t mature enough to handle things internally that the owner had to go out and cool his jets.
And obviously you can’t just start to play first base in the middle of the season. It takes time. But the flat out refusal and his “it’s my position” attitude and approach? Sorry bro. No sympathy
you sir, are an idiot Darth!
muted
This entire thing is on both management and Devers equally. Management handled the entire thing terribly – bad communication, false promises, flip flopping and so on – and Devers put himself before the team and should have been willing to do whatever the team needed to give them the best chance to win. It doesn’t have to be a black and white, either-or situation. There is plenty of blame to go around for the entire snafu.
Highly qualified worker? You mean one of the worst defenders at his position for years? Stop
I hope Devers homers all 3 games
“It’s the willingness to step up and sacrifice at times of need and essentially do whatever is necessary to help the team win,” Tomorrow I will sacrifice a chicken because it is $10 Tuesday at KFC. I’m stepping up because I need chicken.
Congrats
Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most Merciful… please give my goyim brother the gift of inexpensive fried chicken while watching Ally McBeal on tubi
Steve – Best part of that show was the dancing baby!
Lol
Why would ally mcneal and Ashton Kutcher need a pepperoni pizza?
I really love Buehlers comment at the end. Well said.
what did Bueheler say?
coll: Last paragraph.
Buehler didn’t speak.
I get it. The comment he was quoted as saying in the article above.
Otto – You know what I really love?
The utter crap that is this: “The Sox feared that Devers’ frustrations with the position changes would send a poor message to their younger players ”
WHAT kind of message do the Red Sox think has already been sent to the younger players who undoubtedly are aware of how the Sox did Devers dirty, just like they’ve done to so many other Red Sox icons.
From Fangraphs ….
“When asked during the Winter Meetings about rumors that Devers might be moved off third, manager Alex Cora said, “I don’t know where that comes from. I haven’t talked to Raffy about that. I have never talked to his agent about that. People talk about his defense. Actually, I thought last year, he did an outstanding job, especially to his left…. And I guarantee you we haven’t had those conversations.” Clearly, the last sentence was true, but there’s no universe in which Cora was unaware of how much Devers’ defense hurt the team last season. Maybe his willingness to say something so obviously untrue should have been a sign.
Cora doubled down on those comments just a few weeks later. “Rafael Devers is our third baseman,” he told NESN. “I always envisioned Alex as a Gold Glover second baseman.” Even when Bregman signed, the Red Sox indicated that he would play second base, as a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on the day the news of the deal broke. Then all hell broke loose. Two days after Bregman agreed to his three-year, $120 million contract, with opt outs after either of the first two seasons, Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow did exactly what they’d been saying for months that they wouldn’t do. They asked Devers to move to designated hitter.”
NO EXCUSE FOR TREATING THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE, A GENERATIONAL HITTER, LIKE THIS.
lol face of the franchise
Congrats on having an opinion. You’re entitled to one. You just happen to be wrong.
THERE IS ALSO NO EXCUSE NOT TO SWALOW YOUR EGO AND DO WHATS BEST FOR THE TEAM!!! THE SORT OF THING THAT A SUPPOSED FACE OF A FRANCHISE WOULD DO
I’ve never seen fever feel so strongly about baseball, Red Sox can make me red and angry too
Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell will be traded or enter free agency someday.
Anthony Volpe will marry a low-tier instagram model with 27k followers and have 2 children with her someday.
Listen to the press conference. Partially this trade was made to give them more PA.
OF COURSE they will enter free agency someday. Most good players do.
Anthony will get locked up, Mayer will be pretty good but then turn into bad version Bo Bichette and get traded, and Campbell will stay (he’s already extended)
Team first isn’t a difficult concept. Only selfishness gets in the way. Circumstances change, adjust to help the team.
Was the team keeping a star prospect in the minors when the team could have used his help, only to control him longer, putting the team first?
Fair question, but yeah gaining extra control is putting the team first—team first even above winning.
It really is this simple. The front office handled things poorly and Cora is a horrible manager who botched this more, but it’s as simple as he was asked to do something to help his teammates that was reasonable and he flipped in the public eye. He can stew and be mad all he wants in private, but devers is the bad guy and has himself to blame.
Okay, so how does that help Red Sox fans get over this? Unless I’m missing something, it sounds like demonize Raffy and live with everything else.
It makes total sense for Red Sox fans to be upset about this, but I wonder if this is maybe more about still being upset about them trading Mookie away amongst other things?
They’ve created this situation and have little goodwill with their fans, but if this trade is viewed in isolation it is easier to digest.
Okay, so in isolation, they traded away their best hitter for salary relief and unproven/broken pieces after souring a nine year relationship. The leadership saw they are better without him when they can’t even say it with enthusiasm. How is that easier to digest?
Because in isolation they got out of a longterm relationship that spiraling down the drain. There are aspects of unloading Devers that do actually make sense.
Most returns for stars in MLB are unproven. If you can’t see any fault on Devers’ end then you’ll never be accepting of the trade.
Oh I get that Devers punted an own goal for the Red Sox. I think his stance was principled in the face of what I saw happening to him. It wasn’t a wise decision with how much corporatized MLB and sports in general have become to speak out. He crossed a line just like Winston Smith did.
But if I had to weigh who did the deeds, the Red Sox reaction and the trade are much heavier than Devers public comments. Actions speak louder than words. Devers spoke and Red Sox went to action.
I don’t see the principle in Devers’ stance. Boston clearly mismanaged it but I have a hard time seeing his stance as anything other than a me-first attitude.
You can make the argument that Boston doesn’t deserve a team-first attitude from its players because of their moves over the last decade but how could a player making sacrifices for the team—especially when the player has already secured a longterm contract—be a bad thing?
People are individuals first. Devers was caught by the Red Sox power play. Call me old fashion but I’m fancy the underdog. Henry bullying Devers to fall in line is just not a story line that will make me go for Goliath. So Devers being honest and then sticking up for himself the second time around despite the ramifications showed backbone, and players like that are worthy of support.
As for team first, I’m not a child so that stuff really doesn’t matter. I know it’s a business so the team first thing in a business decision is nonstarter.
Team first is overused by managers to guilt people into doing things they don’t have to so the managers can fix their mistake all the time. It’s this leverage in power dynamics used to blackmail subordinates.
True sacrifice for the team is about playing your hardest and doing the little things for your teammates to help unite and make the sum larger than the whole. Devers to DH or 1B was never truly about team first. It was just a convenient tool to turn fans on him.
And the big money, long contract excuse is just a fallacy. The Red Sox owe him that. They want him to do more work because they are cheap. I’m not surprised this deal was a dump in that regard. Especially since Henry is a cheapskate.
Yeah we just fundamentally disagree and that’s okay. Condolences to you for losing a player you really like.
The Padres never reached out about Devers. They did reach out about Duran.
The Padres are 100% about clubhouse culture and going to extra mile to win. They are about having players willing to play whatever position it takes to help the team win. Devers is the exact opposite of the type of player they want.
Guess that extra mile to win secret sauce runs out in October
Well, only one team per year can go all the way.
Padres have been in the playoffs 3 of the last 5 seasons. They made it in Shildt’s first season. They are on pace now. Devers would not fit with their culture and the Padres did not reach out about Devers.
Are you serious? The same team that overpays Machado is “ all about chemistry “? Show me a bigger dick in mlb
Well, there is one on this board that is a bigger one. Go take a look in the mirror. Machado on the other hand has been the epitome of a leader as a Padre.
Not crazy about Machado but he is one heck of a player.
“The Padres never reached out about Devers.”
So you’re saying Sean McAdam is a liar?
Maybe, the Red Sox reached out to the Padres and asked if they were willing to beat SF’s offer for Devers?! You could read the Red Sox comments and interpret it that way also..
Either Sean McAdam is or Shildt is. Shildt in his post-game presser in response to being asked if the Padres had talked to the Red Sox about acquiring Devers said no, they hadn’t.
lol. Of course they didn’t, Pads Fan. Let me take a wild stab in the dark…. the baseball media is making stuff up and being all anti Padre again. MLBTR should be embarrassed for reporting on it.
How did I go ?
Yep. Josh Hader was all in on the team when he was a Padre. That culture just had him going all out for the W’s.
Can’t wait for the Red Sox to flip hicks back to the cardinals for Helsley and Arenado but then also somehow the cards pay all the salary for everyone. Seems like a great parting gift from MO
I like the deal for Boston for the most part. But if the team does want to upgrade at the deadline where can they do it? Perhaps a rental 1b or middle infielder.
And the public bad mouthing of Devers begins. Just like they did to Terry Francona. I said this was going to happen.
No one bad mouthed Francona. Devers deserves to be bad mouthed.
Um, the front office put out the story about the pain meds, the divorce, and living in a motel. They most certainly bad mouthed him.
Nope. That was from an article in the Boston Globe. The reporter asked Francona about it. Try again.
Henry the owner of the Red Sox owns the Globe. Try again.
Web—Right. And the Globe cited “team sources” as the basis. Most likely the late Larry Lucchino, who did not get along with Francona.
You are saying that Henry writes the articles and has 100% editorial control? Are you on crack?
Chance – Red Sox Nation knew, it’s what this ownership does.
Even during yesterday’s press conference they chose to use the worst possible picture of Devers. It’s all about manipulating perception.
Fever Pitch Guy — and people are surprised. The owner of the Red Sox owns the Globe, NESN, and if reporters and writers want to get access I imagine they play ball too.
The best article I saw was from the Herald by Andrew Callahan. Don’t know much about the guy but he let it rip bostonherald.com/2025/06/16/callahan-red-sox-cheap…
Cleveland – Yep, it’s funny how some people here are so naive about how most management operate.
Red Sox management has all the power, that’s what fuels their arrogance.
It takes a really strong employee (Devers, Xander, Mookie, Lester, etc) to stand up to them and hold them accountable.
To be fair Devers did plenty of badmouthing himself already.
….and Nomar and Manny….and Theo and DD….and 20 of their “star”/fan-favorite players……and other FO people….and other managers….and other coaches……and other players……
A classless organization and a stab-’em-in-the-back fanbase /
local sports media.
A quality FA has to be nuts/desperate to sign to play for that organization in that city without an opt-out clause.
And, Red Sox Front Office, Media and fans badmouthed and scapegoated Dave Dombrowski and threw him under the bus after he delivered a World Series Championship to Boston and their best winning record in team history.
Maybe not probable but it is very possible they will have a better record because of the trade. If they get some offensive boost from Anthony and Duran and the pitching they got helps they could have a nice run. And there probably aren’t any distractions moving forward for whatever that’s worth (unless maybe some teammates resent the trade enough).
Rishi – I don’t think players will allow themselves to be affected.
The players are well aware of the history …. all the homegrown superstars who were treated like crap before and after they were forced out of town.
They other day even Pedro slammed the Red Sox by complimenting the Yankees on how well they conduct themselves.
[…”there is a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would have.”
While that seems unlikely…]
I chuckled a bit here. Regardless of the reason for the trade that’s just a ridiculous comment by Breslow
What is ridiculous is thinking that any one player would be the difference. When Toro and Gonzalez have been better than Devers at the plate over the last month it’s pretty clear that having Devers come to the plate 4-5 times a game isn’t going to make the difference in winning the most possible games. The roster flexibility of being able to play those two as well as Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell more often can contribute to winning more.
Remember, HITTING is only a part of the game. The rest of the guys mentioned not only hit well but can also play defense.
man – So true, because there’s no way to prove he’s right or wrong …. so no matter what happens, he’s gonna claim it’s true.
Yep, the younger players have gotten the message loud and clear:
1) Never believe what management says
2) Never trust management
3) Never think that ethics or morals matter to management
4) It’s a business, management cares about profit more than anything else
Fever Pitch Guy — Makes you wonder if that’s why Betts wasn’t supposedly interested in signing an extension. The clubhouse guys protect themselves by saying platitudes but I imagine they all know what’s up. Or at least privately discuss.
I saw what David Ortiz said about sacrificing your ego. He did it. Wonder if he is just saying that or he’s hooked up, I mean he got a street named after him right there by Fenway.
Cleveland – Ortiz is still an employee of the Red Sox, so of course he’s gonna toe the company line.
espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20697665/boston-red-sox-si…
Hey guess what?
The trade puts the Red Sox just below the CBT Threshold ….. just a coincidence I’m sure, right?
No way this was all planned for that reason, right?
Fever Pitch Guy — That thought did cross my mind. What is more interesting is there hasn’t been a single article that has touched on this point. You’d think this would be the golden goose of Red Sox news after all the dipping under the line by Bloom.
the reason i believe no one mentioned it is because they are only a couple million below and they were already under it last season so it is not like they are resetting it but just kicking it down the road a season even if they dont do anything this season.
It should play a bigger story because they said they were going to go into to compete all winter. Now those words are false.
are they false though?
Signing bregman is a sign of trying to compete and that was very late winter more early spring, I’m sure bregman told them off the rip guess what im going to go out injured for a while during the season after you have already lost your 1b for the season and another thumper in Yoshida will be out to.
Also didnt they sign Chapman to be setup man in the winter and he was supposed to be depth and push hendricks as well for the closer job.
how about trading for the top trade candidate in crochet over the winter AND extending him. signing walker buehler.
these all sound like they were going into the season to compete.
Maybe the bigger story should be player not willing to move for the betterment of the teams alignment reducing the teams overall potential and lowering their ability to compete.
“Sound like” means nothing to me after seasons of being strung along.
I think the story about Devers not ‘doing what’s good for the team’ is a load of crock. It does a great job slandering a hard working player to fans. Just watching him play game after game, there was nothing to suggest he didn’t do what’s best for the team.
So I won’t buy that guilt trip. You’re welcome to it but I despise being fooled by morals that only serve to save $200M dollars for a billionaire’s purse. Morals aren’t to be messed with such petty things.
Yoshida is going to replace Devers. They got Hicks and Harrison. They had no place for Yoshida to play before the trade. I agree its unlikely but its not impossible.
I think its more likely that a combination of Yoshida vs RHP and Refsnyder and others vs LHP will replace Devers at DH.
From Williams to Devers and many in between another management failure then Breslow hits below the belt when Devers is gone and admits the team is worse now but hey he didn’t sign him. I hope Devers hammers them this weekend.
They’re better off in the long run without him and his contract. They should have paid up for Betts instead.
Devers is a top 10-15 hitter in the MLB, the only free agent they can replace that production with is Tucker who they will need to pay a heckofalot more than that.
Obviously they would have been better off keeping betts but that’s done
Devers is not a top 30 PLAYER in MLB. There is far more to this game than hitting but that is all he can do.
Devers is a top 15 hitter but not overall player. Tucker doesn’t make sense for them. They need an infielder. Bringing Bregman back will help.
Are you able to read? I said top 15 batter, you come back with a different data point and then argue that data point lol
What a cry baby
Bringing Bregman back is music to Boras’ ears, not sure Henry will cough up when Bregman asks for a longer deal.
Ahhhh,,,from the King of hindsight.
This is a different FO/situation.
Giants are already welcoming Devers as a star. Watch him carry that team offensively for years. As Jeff Passan (ESPN) pointed out: The Giants are 2 games behind the Dodgers and in dire need of a strong/game-changing bat. There are none that will be available in trade this year, or in FA in the offseason.
Devers is one of the best run-produces in MLB. I saw a spray char of his (career) extra base hits overlaid on Oracle parks dimensions. He hits to all fields and is going to get a lot of HR’s in the right field stands jetting out from the foul pole. The statheads don’t understand how the game is played: Devers is going to make many of the hitters around him in the order better because they’ll get better pitches to hit. How is Soto doing this year without Judge hitting behind him?
Lime – Breslow also took a shot at Devers by stating the team will win more games without Devers than they would have won with him.
Obviously there’s no way to prove it, but if a lie can’t be proven wrong then the Sox front office is gonna say it!
Fever Pitch Guy – “there is a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would have.”
I understand that you’re a Devers apologist but don’t try to twist the narrative. Breslow is alluding to the fact that DH is now open allowing him more flexibility to give the young players more at-bats. While they’re unlikely going to step in and fill Dever’s shoes, there’s more opportunity for them to play and possibly breakout. Put your pitchfork away – that statement wasn’t directed towards Devers.
Jobu – You know what I find really interesting? When I write the exact same facts that countless media write or say, but yet some people point at me like I’m the only one saying it.
Spend some time off this site, read other neutral sites like Fangraphs and The Athletic, then come back here and try to say it’s only me.
BTW – How am I an apologist when I’ve been saying for months a trade is best for both parties.
“Flexibiilty” is just a commonly used catchphrase by management to make excuses for their behavior, you should know that already. It’s right up there with “align” etc.
Hey does this ring a bell? “By trading Mookie we created the financial flexibility to sign our homegrown players and compete for championships every year”.
The only true flexibility this trade creates is allowing Yoshida to return to the lineup. I really don’t think Anthony, Duran, Abreu and Rafaela will be DH’ing 25% of the time.
Last night Hamilton started at 2B because Campbell was the DH, how did that help the offense? How many hits did the Sox have? How many runs? How many strikeouts?
You probably think Roman was kept in AAA so long because he “needed to work on stuff”. LOL
Breslow said he believes that the team will be better without Devers. I do too.
You live in la la land.
The team just lost a 4 WAR bat, and added nothing to its big league roster. This is essentially punting the season
Sometimes the sum is greater than the parts. Devers bat is not equal to Rafaela the player and that is what the Red Sox believe they will have in at least one of Mayer, Anthony, or Campbell. As of today my money would be on Mayer being the one to do that. In 18 games at 3B he has shown he can hit, hit for power, and play above average defense all at a position he had played only 6 games at during his professional career before being called up and asked to play it.
Since Toro, Gonzalez, and Refsnyder have combined to be as good with the bat as Devers, they are not losing much if anything in that category either.
I am certain that Breslow knows far more about baseball than you or I do since he is actually employed by a team because of his knowledge of the game. Thinking you know more than he does really places you squarely where you were trying to say somebody else was, in la la land.
While you have punted on the season, Las Vegas thinks the Red Sox will win more games now also. Its not JUST Breslow. The Red Sox started the season with a over/under of 81.5 wins. As of today its 84.5 wins. I would be willing to bet that the line makers in Las Vegas know more than you do about baseball as well.
A man named Ortiz: learned English, obtained his US Citizenship, took the city of Boston on his shoulders AND played 1st base when his team needed it most!
Lts – You mean when Ortiz played first base in NL cities because there was no DH in the NL at the time?
Sorry dude, that was a really silly comment you made.
Fever—truth. Plus, Papi came up as a first baseman. What would’ve happened if they had asked him to play third?
Chance – Exactly!
Better yet, how would Ortiz have reacted if they had told him all offseason that he would be the fulltime DH …. and then they were to sign another player to be fulltime DH, and instead told him he was going to be a bench player?
There’s a reason why assertive players with bad tempers don’t get mistreated like Devers did.
In fact, Ortiz demanded a trade in 2003 because he wasn’t happy with his playing time.
Fever—Let me add this: I am not and never have been a fan of Devers. I absolutely hated the contract when they signed him and believe that it was an attempt to appease the fan base for losing Mookie. However, what I don’t go for is when management jerks a player around. The famous—or now infamous quote was: “put your glove away, you’re not going to need it.” Then, when it’s convenient for them, they expect Devers to pick up said glove—the one he was told that he wasn’t going to need—and just like that go play first. Now I’ll admit, Devers never should have gone public with his grievances against the club, but he was being jerked around. If he was told that he was going to be the DH, then end of story. Expecting a player that led the league in errors at his position to go and play another position and thinking that he won’t lead the league in errors at THAT position is unrealistic. Either way, Breslow & Co handled this very poorly, as did Devers. Ultimately, I believe the trade was necessary for both parties.
And had time to take steroids, so he could accomplish all that.
Ortiz never tested positive from 2004 on. He got BETTER once regular testing started. What that says is he wasn’t juicing, but you apparently have been hitting the juice to miss the most common sense take on his career.
Lolz@ people defending Devers. Selfish that’s all he is. A guy making that money much coin and finds it beneath him to actually play another position? He can’t even stay in shape. He looks like a tootsie roll stuffed into a uniform.
Not beneath him, he believed he could not play that position on such short notice with no reps @ 1B.
If he had Spring Training or off season to work on it, then maybe so.
But his skills were declining @3B.
Putting him @ 2b without any practice and/or time to learn the new position could have tanked his offensive numbers also.
So if only 1 of the 3 Sox prized prospects reach their potential, then what?? I get they’ve done everything they were expected to so far but stranger things have happened. If they are just guys, this team is cooked. They are totally all in on young and basically unproven talent. Very bold move.
hole – Do you know what the difference is between “bold” and “foolish”?
If it eventually works out, it was “bold”.
If it doesn’t work out, it was “foolish”.
If only one reaches their potential for the minimal dollars they will be spending on them the next few years, then the Red Sox are far ahead of where they would have been if they kept the most expensive DH in baseball.
A top position player that plays good defense and hits reasonably well will produce more that helps a team win than any DH, even Devers. Look at Rafaela who is on pace to outproduce Devers overall but is hitting below league average. Mayer who is a rookie and is playing out of position is on pace to outproduce Devers over 162 games.
Now let’s talk just about DH. A platoon of Yoshida and Refsnyder last season would have produced a higher OPS+ than Devers has had so far this season.
What would Sox fans have said when Devers led the league in errors at first base? What then? He’s not a good fielder, period. Everyone got so hung up on the contract that they felt he should have played any position. “Hey Raffy? Jarren got hurt…we need you to play left field because, you know, you’ve got all those millions.”
The problem for the Red Sox in 2025 is, where do they go to replace the production, especially when Bregman’s not back for at least a few weeks?
Unlike in the past, more teams are likely to still think they’re in it at the deadline.
Trades within the division are hard to get done. I doubt the Orioles are going to want to send Ryan O’Hearn to Boston unless they’re willing to at least slightly “overpay” for him, The Orioles are likely going to want pitching in return too, and that’s not exactly the Boston farm system’s strength. If I’m the O’s and there are multiple bidders for O’Hearn, I tell the Red Sox I want either Sandlin or Early. (If they ask for Perales, I think they just get laughed at.)
The other place I could see the Red Sox going is to Arizona to try and get Naylor. His availability (and price tag in terms of prospects) likely depends on Arizona falling out of the WC race over the next month. If they don’t fall out of the race, he’ll be costly.
Of course, I’d be willing to ship them Josh Bell and Lowe for Blaze Jordan right now…but I’m not the Nats GM and I doubt they’re dumb enough to do that deal. Bell may end up available anyway as a DFA. It looks like Davey Martinez has about had it with much of his terrible offense (Ruiz, Bell, Lowe, etc.)
Id get both sides. Difficult for an infielder to lose a cherished position. But devers wasnt exactally tearing it up on the defensive front, leading in errors. The message of the trade is nothing new. Perform or you’ll be released or traded. Did the sox even bring in David Ortiz to convince him his bat is worth more to the team?
What the braves going to offer? Austin is entrenched at 3b, Olson at 1b. Could they have traded Ozuna and another poistion player for Devers?
That’s almost too bad it didn’t happen because Ozuna would mash in Fenway
I’m curious to see what Melvin does with him. In SD in 2023 it seems with all the personalities and demands (especially Hader) he just kind of switched off. Despite having one of the more talented rosters in baseball they fell flat on their face. That earned him the name Sleepy Bob in SD as he seemed indifferent to it all season.
Devers had no problem taking the team’s money but had a serious problem doing whatever was asked of him. Right or wrong, regardless of how anyone views how the Red Sox FO handled the Devers/Bregman situation or about approaching him to play First Base, they were his employer, they paid him, a lot. They didn’t need his permission to sign Bregman and when asked/told to play First Base he should have been on board. Devers ultimately ran himself out of town
Devers made it clear BEFORE they signed Bregman that he didnt want to move off of 3b. The Red Sox chose to ignore that and sign Bregman anyways. Most teams would not have done that. Frankly the Red Sox ran him out of town by signing a guy to play 3b when Devers was playing there and had a giant contract in place already.
Then he should have worked on being a better defensive Third Basemen because even with Bregman having an uncharacteristic start defensively, he’s still miles better than Devers.
Don’t get me wrong, i loved watching Devers hit and the talking to himself at the plate (which seems to have gone away this season) and all that, but there is no “whatever it takes to win” in him, which is exactly NOT the kind of influence you want around younger players
Devers was and is not a good 3b no question about that. But he was the teams franchise player you don’t tell him to move off the position when he clearly didn’t want to. That was a mistake by the Red Sox.
This “hes not a team player” stuff is nonsense. The Red Sox created all this drama not Devers.
C U Next Tuesday Raffy.
Enjoy playing 1B
I bet he’ll enjoy actually being able to compete for a playoff spot
I’ll bet they see him this Friday, not next Tuesday.
“I played for the Red Sox a long time,” Ortiz said Monday. “You think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers? I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s— happens. You need to have the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.”
Ortiz was professional. Team and player are never going to agree on everything and won’t see eye to eye about everything but you make it work. Sadly instead of being the next Big Papi Devers joins the Nomar’s and Manny’s of being great until they weren’t and being shipped out during the season
I’m no great lover of Red Sox management, and telling Devers to “put away his glove” is one of the more idiotic things a GM has ever done, but it’s frankly a little confusing to me how many people are on Devers’ side. I’ve followed the timeline from the beginning and while I agree that ownership botched the communication with Devers, his decision to publicly criticize management and refuse to agree to multiple position changes is extremely out-of-bounds behavior, especially for someone being paid as much as Devers. Anyone who has ever stepped foot in so much as a little league clubhouse knows that this is not how you handle internal conflict with your teammates, manager, or organization.
Baseball—perhaps more than any other sport—has always been about team chemistry, self-sacrifice, humility, and grit. It isn’t like football or basketball where one or two studs can make demands of the entire organization since the team is entirely dependent on their output. Even Ted Williams and Barry Bonds only accounted for 1/9 of a day’s at-bats, and Devers (while extremely talented) is not a “generational hitter” in the way those men were. He is very, very good at hitting. But he is not “generational.” And even if he was, the way he behaved would be in outrageously bad form in any baseball clubhouse.
Not to be self-aggrandizing, but I was probably the best player on my little league team when I was 15 years old, and if I’d refused to play a position my coach told me to play, there’s no question I would have been benched. I’m certain almost every other commenter on this website who has played ball was taught those exact same values. Sometimes you do things you don’t want to do for the good of the team, no matter how blindsided you feel by it. If it was good enough for Kristian Campbell, there’s no reason it shouldn’t have been good enough for Devers. And if the rumors about Devers taking Campbell’s willingness to play first as a personal slight are true, then the case feels pretty closed.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. I would remind everyone who feels differently that David Ortiz, who has infinitely more authority than I do to make these kinds of judgements, has essentially expressed the exact same thing. Good riddance to Devers. I’m withholding my criticism of Henry & Co. until I see how (and if) they reallocate the money they saved by dumping a contract that never should have been signed in the first place—though I will admit that based on their track record, I’m not exactly holding my breath.
You’re not a bad person but I’m afraid to say you are a moron
Thank you. I like your username, it’s funny.
Derek Bell must’ve flipped my wife 8 times and it really bothered me
Crocus—enjoyed reading your post. I’m in the Devers camp in this one. To ask someone to change positions twice in less than three months is a bit much in my opinion. Obviously Devers is a proud man, and being asked to leave your position is basically to admit that you’re not that good at it, which he’s not. Then to ask him to go to another position in the field—that he’s never played—is kind of a kick in the teeth if you ask me. First you say I’m not good enough to play in the field (put my glove away) then you want me to play—in the field? Which is it? Kind of insulting. But you made some good points. Good post.
Thanks for the kind words! I should probably be clear that I don’t really think management handled this situation well, either—they certainly could have had a more delicate touch, and the public-facing comments that Breslow and Cora made in the immediate aftermath of the Bregman signing certainly made the demand that Devers move to DH feel like a blindside. There’s a lot of unprofessionalism to go around in this scenario, from all parties involved.
Ultimately, I feel like management did Devers dirty, and Devers responded by doing his teammates even dirtier. He had every right to be annoyed—and I don’t even think there would be anything *that* wrong with him privately rebuffing Breslow’s requests and explaining that he didn’t feel comfortable with the switch—but the fact that we even know these conversations happened is entirely on Devers, and only a player with an ego the size of the moon would be airing that dirty laundry to the press.
And as a final note, it’s frankly a little ridiculous for the statistically-worst defensive third baseman in the sport to be dying on the hill that they were promised they could play third base forever. If he wanted to hold onto that job he should have found a way to earn it. If you field like a 1B/DH, you don’t get to be angry when you’re moved to 1B/DH.
“ it’s frankly a little ridiculous for the statistically-worst defensive third baseman in the sport to be dying on the hill that they were promised they could play third base forever.”
Yup. I concur. I never liked Devers at third. I always thought of him as a DH. But again, I am not a Devers fan and I am not broken up at all that he’s gone. It’s just the way everything went down that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
David Ortiz was a great player!
However, Ortiz is on the Red Sox payroll so he will sing the company line until he is not on their payroll or if he goes against he company tune, then he will find himself off the company payroll.
It is how things work.
Interesting article, but I’m guessing Anthony Franco is a Red Sox fan. It’s about the fallout from the trade, but entirely from Boston’s perspective. I get it, that the short-term impact is probably greater for the Sox, but when the effect of the CBT was brought up, I would have liked to know what the hit was for the Giants as well since they’re adding a sizable contract.
Nothing is black and white, and both Devers and the Sox could have handled things better. I thought Devers’ rejection of the team’s ask to play 1B was not that of a team player. But I also thought the team should have communicated better with Devers about their plans to sign Bregman, and the intended IF alignment. Clearly there hadn’t been any communication when Devers proclaimed that he played 3B back in February. Once the resentment took hold, it seems neither side tried very hard to mitigate it.
Never really understood why Devers is so adamant about moving off of third base, If he was an above-average defender, or was nearing a contract year, I’d totally understand that. But Devers has always been a below average glove and is under control through the 2033 season. Who is possibly benefiting from this refusal?
Classy GM’s/CBO’s don’t slam their former players after they trade them.
Can’t have a player throwing temper tantrums and being pouty on a young team. It sets an horrific example and Boston is one of the youngest, if not the youngest team in the bigs. You keep control of everyone else by making Devers an example, the message has to be to do what’s best for the team. Devers didn’t do that, he should of been on first. He made himself expendable.
I find it ridiculous that a position switch during the season is a consideration. There is alot to playing any position including first base. That’s not something you throw at a player out of the blue. Spring training maybe.