Red Sox designated batsman Rafael Devers A conversation with members of the media, including Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, today. Devers says chief baseball officer Craig Breslow I asked him about it recently Triston Casas Injuried. Devers said he was reluctant to take the position, adding that he was going to throw his gloves away when the club told him to move him from third base to designated batsmen this winter. He felt the team had turned back now. When asked if he was upset with the request, he also answered “sí, claro”.
Devers said through the translator: “I know I’m a player, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every position there. During the break training, they talked to me and told me to put down my gloves, basically playing any other position, but I’m not right for them right now. Devers added that about Breslow, “I’m not sure what he has for me (the problem). He plays, and I think he knows he knows it’s not easy to change such a position. “Speier sent more transfers from Devers: “Luckily, in the club hall, my relationship with my teammates was great. I don’t understand some of the decisions GM makes. Next, you know, you know, someone in the outfield is injured and they want me to play in the outfield. As for the first base, Devers seems to think the external increase is the answer from Masslive’s Christopher Smith: “Now, I think they should get the job done essentially and look for another player in the market (playing the first base). I’m not sure why they want me between the way they have me now. ”
Maybe he will change that position in time, but he seems to be staging strongly now. According to Smith, Devers doesn’t think he will change his mind. “I don’t think so. They told me I’m a little stubborn. They’ve asked me to change once, and this time I don’t think I’m that flexible.”
It’s been a weird couple of months in terms of the relationship between Devers and Red Sox. Throughout the winter, the club is connected to the third baseman Alex Bregman and Nolan ArenadoAlthough Devers seems to lock the location. Devers was never a strong defender, so there was some famous logic to consider moving him elsewhere, but there was a question about Devers himself and his feelings about displacement. The two parties agreed to extend the nine-digit figure in January 2023, and the contract lasts until 2033, so the long-term relationship is obviously a real consideration.
Breman was unsigned in mid-February. At the time, Sox snapped him up on a three-year 120mm contract, although there were famous extensions and exits after each season. The club did not come out immediately and declare their intentions with a defensive alliance, while Devers insisted he would stick to three bases. He said the club assured him that he could stay in popular corners for a long time. manager ÁlexCora The promise was rejected because “that’s under Chaim” refers to former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. Sox blossomed at the end of the 2023 season and eventually replaced him with Breslow.
It soon became obvious that Sox wanted superior defender Bregman to be in third place. Devers will be the club’s full-time designated hitter and even occasionally not to play. “Rafi is going to DH,” Cora said in March. “We had a conversation and we talked about it. He was a carnival. He was a DH for the Boston Red Sox. One thing is we don’t want him to overthink.
Although Devers is obviously not satisfied with being removed and is said to even consider asking for a deal at some point, he does eventually come up with a more friendly tone. In mid-March, about two weeks after the season started, he said: “I’m so happy to do whatever they want,” he said. “I’m here to help you. I’ve talked to them about this and they know where I stand. I’m ready to have fun.”
All of this work seemed good enough in the first few weeks of the season until Casas was injured. Last week, a ruptured left pat tendon caused Casas’ knee surgery and he will miss the rest of the 2025 campaign.
This quickly led to speculation about Dever being very suitable for replacing Casas. After the initial injury, Sox used something like Romy González and Abraham Toro Coverage location. These two are usually the ideal solution for lightweight utilities in their careers, rather than bat supreme positions like First Base.
Moving Devers to the scene seems to make things easier for Sox. While learning a new position in the middle of the season is certainly a challenge, first base is generally considered to be lower than third bases in the defensive range, and over the years, many low third basemen have become enough first basemen. Doing so also frees up DH positions, opening more bats for other players. Outfield prospect Roman Anthony and the prospect of the infield Marcelo Mayer Currently, there are some obstacles to regular game time. It’s hard to find a place Yoshida Masatakacurrently on the injured list, because he is still an outfielder. He is a bad defender and he was the club’s main designated hitter last year.
Cora recently publicly stated that he did not ask Devers for a conversion, but Red Sox seemed to have considered the plan privately, Breslow started the conversation, and Devers was not friendly.
From his perspective, it is understandable that this is a half-year pain. As of months ago, he considered himself a third baseman in Boston and seemed to feel safe in the role. Now, he was shaken by that security and was asked to adapt.
Still, his reaction was strange and not always nice to him. It is rare for players to refuse to do what his team calls for him. In fact, dozens of players have switched positions over the years to help their team. Learning first base may not be an ideal result for Devers, but by attracting some ground and feeling it, exploring this possibility is hardly hurt, especially if the team thinks it can help them win more games in the long run. While it’s nice to keep the clubhouse rapport, it’s fair to wonder if his teammates are upset about this hardline stance, as it doesn’t seem like a team-first decision.
Additionally, when there is a dissatisfaction between the team and the players, it is often a struggle to keep it private. It is especially rare for players to criticize the front office leaders of his team, especially for a fairly easy to understand inquiries.
This story inevitably has more development. For the moment, Devers will appear to be staying in the DH position. If Sox is not satisfied with his rejection, there is nothing they can do about it. No matter what drama happens in the game, it doesn’t seem to affect him on the plate. Even if he missed the first five games of the season, he had a 0.246/.370/.430 batting line and 123 WRC+ this year. They certainly don’t want to subtract the bats from the lineup.
According to records, Devers has no trade protection in his contract, so technically they can drive him out of town if they really want to. But there is no indication that it is a consideration, or even remote possibility. Even if they did want him to leave a point, shipped a contract that still lasted for more than eight years and was hard to move at any time. This is especially true in the mid-season when clubs spend most of their budgets. Plus, other clubs will surely be aware of the open drama, and if Breslow calls them, they will try to use it as leverage.
Unless there is more development, Devers seems to stick with DH. For the moment, at least, Sox will try to cover first base with people like González and Toro, although they have the potential to pursue first basemen in the coming weeks and months.
As for the relationship between Devers and Sox, this is certainly not the last time we heard it. As mentioned, Bregman has the option to exit the contract after the season and seems to tend to do so as he has had a great year. Eventually, it may be questioned whether Devers can choose to retake the position in 2026, or Trevor’s Story or Christian Campbell Take over the third. This means that in already enough legends, more twists and turns are inevitable.
Image courtesy of Ken Blaze, image.
