The Red Sox have been dealing with some tension around the infield this spring, as their recent acquisition of Alex Bregman has led to questions about where Bregman—and, by extension, Rafael Devers—will play in 2024. Bregman is the superior defender at third base, but Devers to publicly emphasized that his position is third base. Meanwhile, team officials have refused to declare either Devers or Bregman the starting third baseman to this point. Today, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke to reporters (including MassLive’s Sean McAdam) about the situation, and downplayed the severity of any clubhouse issues that could arise over the team’s infield alignment.
“I think having really good players that are talking about positions is not a terrible place to be in,” Breslow said, as relayed by McAdam. “…my obligation is to put the best team on the field, on both offense and defense that I can possibly can… So we’ll continue to have those conversations.”
Breslow’s comments seem to clearly indicate that the club has no intention of handing him the third base job out of respect for his tenure at the position. Given that the club seems to be staying the course of determining its infield alignment based on performance this spring, Breslow noted that he has confidence in the ability of manager Alex Cora to handle any concerns within the clubhouse resulting from the ongoing battle for third base.
“But part of the reason we as an organization feel that Alex is the perfect manager for the Red Sox is his ability to command a clubhouse, his ability to communicate with players across different cultures and ethnicities.” Breslow said, as relayed by McAdam. “He’s such a great communicator. …any time you have a talent roster, there are players who are going to want more playing time or fill different roles. You rely on the manager to be able to have those conversations and get everybody moving in the same direction.”
Should Bregman ultimately be installed at the hot corner with Devers moving to DH, Cora’s ability to communicate and command the clubhouse may be put to the test. Devers has long maintained his desire to stick at third base and has clearly expressed a very strong preference to remain at the hot corner all throughout his career, and Cora himself has even acknowledged that Devers was promised that he’d be the club’s third baseman long term when he signed a 10-year extension with the club prior to the 2023 season. Of course, that pact came under former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom rather than Breslow, opening the door to the tensions the Red Sox are facing today.
Elsewhere on the roster, the Red Sox are dealing with a number of injury woes impacting their rotation. Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito are all behind at this point in camp due to various ailments, but Christopher Smith of MassLive relayed a positive update on the status of Giolito. While Giolito has been a bit slow out of the gate this year as he continues to recover from the internal brace procedure he underwent last spring, he noted earlier this winter that he expects to be ready for Opening Day. Per Smith, a major step in the right-hander’s process of preparing for the start of the season will take place tomorrow, when he’s scheduled to throw his first live batting practice since going under he knife last year.
Giolito’s status entering the season figures to take on outsized importance for the Red Sox given the fact that both Crawford and Bello are nursing injury situations of their own. Smith adds that Bello threw from 90 feet today as he battles back from a bout of shoulder soreness, and that his progression from here will be determined by a strength test later today. As for Crawford, the right-hander is still feeling discomfort due to his patellar tendon in long toss and bullpen sessions. It’s a worrying sign for the right-hander, who pitched through knee issues for much of the 2024 season. Those problems have lingered into the start of camp this year and appear to be putting Crawford’s availability for Opening Day in doubt.
In more pleasant injury news, Smith writes that southpaw Chris Murphy has resumed throwing bullpens after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in April. The southpaw isn’t expected to be a factor for the Red Sox in at least the early part of the year year, but Smith relays that Murphy hopes to pitch in the majors at some point in 2025 wouldn’t completely rule out a return in the first half of the season. For now, he’s taking things slowly with 10- and 15-pitch bullpen sessions, both of which featured exclusively fastballs.
A return late in the first half or even at some point in the second half would be a welcome development for the Red Sox, as the 26-year-old looked like an interesting piece during his rookie season back in 2023. The lefty appeared in 20 games for Boston as a multi-inning reliever, and while his 4.91 ERA in those 47 2/3 innings was fairly lackluster he still managed to open some eyes thanks to a solid 23.1% strikeout rate and a 3.70 FIP. Once he’s healthy, the southpaw could compete with players like Cooper Criswell and Josh Winckowski for a spot as a long man in the Red Sox bullpen this year.
Rafael, let the hate flow through you
Lol
There is no controversy in the Red Sox clubhouse about third base.
“Then, when asked how the Red Sox were reacting internally to the discussion surrounding the third base position, Bregman severely downplayed the controversy.
“We’re not even talking about it,” Bregman said. “I think everybody on the team just wants to win.”
si.com/mlb/red-sox/boston-red-sox-news/red-sox-s-a…
The media wants a controversy to get clicks and trolls will troll.
There is controversy because of the public comments by Devers . . . and agree it is overblown. I think come OD, Bregman will be the third baseman.
Isn’t Devers just starting to throw again?
They may not be talking about it, but controversy there is.
Bregman is a winner. A class act. We are not talking about Bregman. We are talking about Devers who publicly stated that he would refuse to move to DH. Definitively. NO.
So what? There doesnt seem to be problem with his teammates. The major downside is poor defensive 3b but so long as his teammates dont seecan issue then..there isnt one
People calling Bregman a winner and class act are the same people that boo him.
Was he a class act when he was heating for the Astros?
*cheating
Pool, Devers teammates are professionals, so they are not going to speak publicly about it. Devers obviously is not. Once Devers spoke out publicly saying he refused to move to DH there was an issue.
Web, He was asked a question and answered it honestly its not like he blasted off on social media or went out seeking to discuss it. Could he have just said no comment or outright lied? Sure i suppose you prefer one of those but if he lies how does that go over in the clubhouse? If he says no comment do you believe the boston media lets it go at that? ..what do you believe the “professional” response should have been to the question?
Devers publicly stated that he refused to move to DH. Instead of answering like Bregman or others have, he acted unprofessionally He could have simply said that he was there to win and would do what was in the best interest of the team like Bregman and others have in similar situations whether or not he felt that way and then did what a professional does and address it with Cora and Breslow behind closed doors. If you don’t know that, then you shouldn’t be commenting on the situation.
Web..Ok so all that for you to say he should have lied. Got it
Its not lying. Its called being a professional. That you think its lying instead of doing what is in the best interest of your team says all we need to know about you.
The fact you feel the need to make personal attacks on a random mlb rumor site says everything about you
How is that an attack? The truth hurts, but that doesn’t mean its an attack. It is simply that. The truth.
@all in
If they are not talking about it, that’s a problem. Having such an issue to be taboo in the clubhouse is not going to solve things. It will just simmer under the surface until the boiling starts.
So, you think players are speaking their minds to the media, but not in the clubhouse? Devers and Casas seem to have no filter.
l totally agree with your take, there is no unrest on the team. Bregman addressed it before he even stepped on the field after he signed. This team is focused and motivated to get rid of the stench from the last few years. Alex will advance the growth of these young players and anyone else that wants to talk to him.
Enjoy the Orioles in 3rd place
You think that high?
AL East is almost always a tough division. 3rd place might be 89 wins and last (Tor or TB) will likely to around .500
The Orioles won 101 games in ‘23 and 91 in ‘24 with one of the most injury ravaged rotations we’ve ever seen. They are among the safest bets in the sport to be first or second in their division. And it’s almost impossible to realistically envision any sequence of events in which they’re surpassed by the Red Sox. It’s nice to dream though.
Pitching.
“Most injury ravaged weve ever seen” ..wait 10 min someone will note one more ravaged ..either way this is 2025 not 23 or 24 Os had thier shot they couldnt close the deal and have done little to improve thier team since last years 91 win group meanwhile boston has dramatically improved..so its very debatable on how safe a bet the Os are in 2025..btw hows that Os pirching gonna look with the fences moved in?
Vegas has the Red Sox winning 86.5 games and the Orioles winning 88.5.
You might want to look up the words “Impossible” and “realistically” cuz it’s obvious you don’t know what they mean.
Devers for Luis Castillo. Get it done, Mr Dipoto.
So dumb…
Sorry but Breslow isn’t an idiot.
Breslow is an idiot because he couldn’t predict Grissom injuring his hamstring in ST, and then getting an illness once that was starting to clear up derailing most of his season? Maybe you can consult your crystal ball and tell us what players from this year’s team are going to experience injuries in the coming days so the team can prepare for them.
Ken – True, but Breslow isn’t running the show. There were plenty reports of a front office divide on acquiring Bregman, as usual Cora won out.
Here’s how bad it is: “Alex is the perfect manager for the Red Sox is his ability to command a clubhouse, his ability to communicate with players across different cultures and ethnicities.”
Cora has managed 4 different groups of players over the last 4 seasons, and every one of those years he lost the clubhouse in the second half resulting in a collapse. When a team performs far worse in the second half, that’s on the manager.
And yeah great communication skills, we saw that when Devers was blindsided last week because Cora never told him his 3B position was in jeopardy.
You need to get over your intense hatred of Cora because it clouds your judgment. It was never a case of Breslow not wanting Bregman at all and Cora wanting him, it was Breslow not wanting to give in to Bregman’s initial ask for 6 years. Cora and Kennedy were ok with that length, mostly because neither bothers with considering long term implications. Cora because he only focuses on the upcoming season and Kennedy because he only really focuses on what he thinks will help sell the team to the fan base. Breslow didn’t want to get locked into Bregman for that long and held on that, ultimately winning out and getting him for a max 3 years. So the notion that Cora “won” on this and Breslow “lost” is completely false.
You’re also making far more out of what transpired in Devers’ press conference and everything that has come up since then than it deserves. There was no great communication failure. There also is no decision made who is playing where, nor was there prior to agreeing to sign Bregman. Hence the comments that Cora will work things out.
Well said, Ken.
Ken – Haha! You must have me confused with someone else, I’ve never said I hated him. I just dislike his behavior. If you ever have kids you’ll understand where I’m coming from, you can dislike your kid’s behavior without hating them. Or at least I can.
Breslow’s situation with Cora is very similar to Cora’s situation with Devers actually. An unhappy Devers is not a good thing for Cora, and an unhappy Cora is not a good thing for Breslow. We all know how Cora intentionally undermined Bloom by making bad decisions because of the players Bloom gave him. Breslow is intelligent, he doesn’t want to risk Cora undermining him as well.
Anyway, time will tell how this plays out.
So you choose to ignore all the facts, quotes and logic I presented? That’s your choice I guess.
Shall we all repeat in a robotic voice over and over:
“There is no controversy”.
“Cora made no mistakes”
“Everything will be fine”.
Well I’ve already provided some of the many quotes from people like Ortiz, Bowden, Casas, and Loumer.
Here’s another – I’m sure you’ll bash Rosenthal as a hack too, right?
“The Red Sox argument that this was Bloom who made this decision, not the current leadership group—I don’t buy it. It was not Bloom who said to Rafael Devers, ‘Listen, you’re gonna play third base for a long time.’ They all kind of indicated that to him.
They didn’t really give him a heads-up,” Rosenthal added to the discussion with Alanna Rizzo. “It seems like he found out after Bregman signed… this was the way it was going to be.”
Ken, Kennedy’s job is literally worrying about the money. I don’t think your take could have been more off base if you tried.
Baseball – I think you’re both right. Kennedy’s background is in marketing, he does NOT have a Baseball Ops background. He should NOT be making any personnel decisions, and I don’t think he is. He’s the mouthpiece for Werner and Henry.
I don’t believe Cora and Varitek have ever lost the clubhouse. More fiction from Fever Pitch Guy.
Do you think that the Mariners are in a position where they can pay a DH $30 million AAV for the next decade.
I would rather the M’s trade for Bo Bichette.
His stats have proven who he is as a player. Said stats would tank further hitting in Seattle.
Why does everyone think Castillo is the equivalent of Walter Johnson? He isn’t even the 3rd best pitcher on his own team.
He’s actually Seattles 5th best pitcher. But a likely #2 in most rotations.
let – Because they lack the basic ability to look up his H/R splits therefore they are oblivious to the fact his ERA was more than a full run higher on the road last year than it was at home.
Or they are simply too lazy to look it up, take your pick.
@let it be
I have every confidence that Castillo can repeat those numbers outside Seattle because he has done so before. The others are young and have never pitched elsewhere. Home/Road splits are reverse Colorado. I don’t know how they would perform for a different team.
There are players that go wherever their team needs them while they make their obscene amounts of money to play a game.
And then there’s Devers.
AM – There are front offices that act ethically, don’t lie to their own players, don’t deceive their own players, and handle situations in an intelligent manner.
And then there’s the Red Sox.
That “promise” was made by a previous FO. Ethics has absolutely nothing to do with it.
AM – Bloom was not the entire previous front office, he was just one person. Everyone else in that front office is still there including the manager and the owner.
Again, here’s the quote from Rosenthal …. one of many people who understand Cora the rat threw Bloom under the bus by stating it was Bloom and only Bloom who made the decision and the promise to keep Raffy at third base:
“On Fair Territory with Ken Rosenthal, the veteran, Ken Rosenthal, said, “The Red Sox argument that this was Bloom, who made this decision, not the current leadership group—I don’t buy it.” Adding on, Rosenthal candidly said, “It was not Bloom who said to Rafael Devers, ‘Listen, you’re gonna play third base for a long time.’ They all kind of indicated that to him.”
No matter who/what/where… Devers absolutely sucks as an MLB third baseman. Not “kinda bad” or poor, he sucks. They’ve tried to honor this “promise” but he’s literally costing them games and the entire FO knows it – promise or not he is putting himself before the team.
Am – Nahh …. they didn’t do a damn thing to honor the promise. Who was gonna replace him? Dalbec? Valdez? Gonzalez?
What everyone finds fascinating is how you are bashing Devers for saying and doing exactly what any other player in his situation and with his background would have done.
And yet you don’t give any blame whatsoever for how Cora and the front office have created this mess and handled this mess. Devers isn’t the only one who’s been sucking.
What would really be awkward is if they move Devera off third and Bregman has an mvp caliber season causing him to opt out of his deal and looking to Devers to go back to third next year.
If Devers wants to play third he should stop sucking at it. He is -6 outs above average. Bregman is 6 outs above average.
casey – That’s exactly what I and several others have been saying all along. Cora should have told Devers at least 3 years ago to either improve his defense or he loses his 3B position.
What kind of idiotic front office (including owner) gives a $291.5M extension to a player when they don’t like half his game.
Can you imagine Dombrowski saying to JBJ “You suck at hitting, but here’s $291.5M anyways”.
Devers extension was management driven and executed by the buffoon bloom.
But Devers is also a big boy (pun unintended.) He should be smart enough to *know* his defense is so bad there’s no guarantees on anything.
And, you can say why pay so much for a DH… do you forget that it was around 8 years of massive wage inflation ago that JDM was getting 20+ million a year just to DH?
It’s not crazy to think that a DH could get in nearer 30m a year these days when you compare it all
GaSox – Sorry my friend, for you to say Cora and Henry had zero input in the extension decision and both were overruled by Bloom …. well, picturing John Henry and Alex Cora as Bloom’s female dogs did give me a hearty laugh …. so thank you! But I think deep down you know John Henry and Alex Cora would never allow Bloom to make that decision by himself.
Devers is like a big kid. If you know kids, you know they will usually do the bare minimum expected of them … which is why you have to TELL THEM what is expected of them. It’s called communication, and it’s critical in every employer/employee relationship.
Ummm …. JDM was not a DH when he signed with the Red Sox.
In 2017 he played in 119 games, 113 games in RF.
In 2016 he played in 120 games, 118 games in RF.
Need I go on? ;O)
Hey it was a fantastic day today. No magnet calendars this year, but we got a nice wall calendar and program. Interestingly Casas was the featured player for January 2025 ….. kinda a slap in the face considering this Saturday it’s March!
Like I said earlier I don’t put any stock in ST hitting or pitching so I couldn’t care less about Crochet’s poor performance, but I can say with certainty Sabol looked like crap including an absolutely horrendous throw on a stolen base attempt.
You still going north every month?
Fever – still north right now actually. Headed back in a day or two, then back to worcester 2nd week of March.
I actually said the extension was management driven and executed by bloom… not sure what about that implies bloom overruled anyone?
But glad to hear it was a great day at the ballpark. Even a bad day baseball beats a good day working, and, sounds like it was better than a bad day at that
GaSox – Hope the treatments are going well for you, THAT is so much more important than baseball.
Okay thanks for the explanation, so by “management” you agree that includes Cora and Henry? I don’t think Kennedy has that much weight, he is just the mouthpiece for ownership.
Thanks, yeah my first game of the year always gets me really excited. They did a nice tribute to Tiant before the game, there was a good amount of Jays fans who were nice as always.
Fever – when I say management I consider everyone outside the GM/AGM parts of the hierarchy. So yes to Henry, in *most* situations I wouldnt include a manager but with the Sox Cora has this weird dynamic that he’s somehow more than a manager in his influence, he’s like an advisor to the team president/owners/etc level of brass almost… so you kind of have to include him as having more influence than he should, but, not ag the same level of steering as the others.
I think Kennedy has maybe equal or slightly more weight than Cora, in so far as advising how he thinks it’ll help bottom line with fan engagement/expenditures. Certainly not Lucchino level though.
Treatment stuff? Tough compared to a couple months ago. But, new mutations, new world, you know?
GaSox – Sorry to hear about the treatments, hopefully they get easier. It’s Dana Farber, right? They have a stellar reputation, you are being treated by the best which you fully deserve!
I have a cousin being treated at Moffitt, they are good too but he wishes he could go to Dana.
Actually, it’s not, although I had looked into them at the time.
Of all places I head to UMASS who has some experts in their bone marrow program there, they’ve actually got the only stem cell based treatment program in the entire region for it. So it’s a mix of keeping all the long-term hail mary options on the table with guys who really know whats gking on with things. Somewhat luckily they caught the new mutation earlier than most other places mightve, and, they’re great at pulling in other specialists and letting me jump queues to not wait the way a normal ‘new patient’ to most sub-specialties needs to hang around to get a first appointment.
It’s all about going to the best who made sense for what was wrong. Most programs have one thing they’re head and shoulders above their peers at dealing with, so, I always seek out that option, not just an amalgamated set of statistics. I really don’t care how successful somewhere is at lung, or breast, or whatever cancers since I dont need that help. Too many of the institutions tout their success over all the areas, but, you might end up stuck with an area they are only so-so with regards to peers.
GaSox – That makes total sense. A good friend of mine who I worked with was diagnosed with glioblastoma 4 years ago. He went to Tisch Center at Duke …. as of today’s he’s doing well, still hanging in there.
Devers might pout some but as the season goes on and guys get hurt, he’ll get some time in the field. And with the weight he’s lugging around, maybe Devers will start to appreciate sitting down for almost all the game as the DH.
Trade him to Detroit! He can eat all the Little Caesars he wants.
I call him baby fat
My crystal ball says Devers will start 130 games at 3B in 2024…
Saga, 2024.
When the article came out, it originally said 2024.
If Cora caves in to Devers, he should be fired. The player is the employee, regardless of his salary. You don what you’re told to do. Don’t like it? Walk off the team and lose the money.
let – If Cora’s decision to sign Bregman and have him start at 3B without warning Devers ends up torpedoing the season, he most DEFINITELY should be fired.. Because Bloom has already been fired and you can’t fire Henry (although I’d fire Kennedy too just for his smugness and dishonesty).
@FPG
Cora may have campaigned for him, but he’s not the one making the decision when that level of contract is at play. I really doubt that the money people who negotiated the contract would guarantee a position. If Cora made the promise, that should defn put him on the hot seat.
stymee – Cora didn’t like Bloom at all and was instrumental in getting Bloom fired, so it should be no surprise Cora threw Bloom under the bus by blaming just him. That is common in every workplace though, always blame everything on the person who is no longer there. LOL!!!
So you’re saying both Dombrowski and Bloom forced Cora to play Devers at 3B every game? Sorry but Cora would never allow that.
And John Henry wouldn’t give nearly $300M to a player if he felt he didn’t deserve it. He has to sign off on all big contracts.
Nick this 2025. The fact that you do not know what year it is questions your ability as a writer.
There have been some great minds not always oriented to date/time. It is harder to overlook when it’s read not heard, but I try not to throw stones.
For example, putting a period after “Nick this 2025,” is amusing.
Devers stinks at first
Now that would be fun to watch!
Trade Devers for Trout. Make Trout the next Big Papi!
The Angels have a third baseball who does not want to play ever again and the Red Sox has one who won’t give it up without being a cancer in the clubhouse.
Now Trout needs to approve the trade.
I hugely doubt Trout would veto a deal to Boston. He’d probably be willing to drive there if need be. But neither club would make that trade.
Agreed. Just a fantasy by an Angels fan tired of supporting a losing owner.
Nick,
I am going to recommend you invest in Grammarly. grammarly.com/
Sentence fragments like “but Devers to publicly emphasized that” are just not acceptable in a publication that many pay to read. I realize you are trying to get these articles out as fast as possible and that is why Grammarly would be so valuable to you. It gives you suggestions in real time.
I would also suggest that you take the time to check your facts and your links. Far too often you miss simple facts and the link is to the wrong player.
You are why I don’t pay for this site, so you are costing your boss money. Sorry Tim Dierkes. Nick is the first thing most people see because he writes the majority of the articles that are posted on this site and his bad journalism practices, continual mistakes with basic information about players and teams, and bad grammar is off-putting.
What you’re talking about is editing and proofreading. You don’t need Grammarly unless you slept through school. Editing and proofreading are as important as writing. The problem is we all want to rush through everything that we do and get on to the next thing. As a result, we end up doing more stuff less intelligently. That is not a recipe for success.
The readers here want content, content, content. They care far less about grammar and sentence structure than learning about the new facial hair policy.
Apparently he slept through school and rushes through everything he does, so Nick needs Grammarly.
you could probably use a refresher yourself especially with your punctuation and run on sentences. personally, i dont care but i usually dont call people out on it unless they are being bad at it themselves. kettle and such.
Fly, you are calling him out for his grammar and started a sentence with a lower case you? Hypocritical much?
I think Nick must have been out at the club pretty late last night because a couple of these today have been completely botched. But it’s the first time I’ve noticed anything this egregious really.
Breslow is in denial. One of worst things that can happen in any clubhouse is what just happened with Devers saying he had refused to move to DH. Any time you have one of the better hitters on a team refusing to do what is in the best interest of the team, it is a huge problem. To use Breslow’s terminology, it is a terrible place to be in.
Unless the FO and the manager stop being wishy-washy on a very serious issue and show some backbone, it will fester in the clubhouse and other players will believe that they too can dictate the future actions of the team. They will lose the team entirely.
It is going to be a long season Red Sox fans. Buckle up.
Outinleft… You’re buying into the media narrative and creating scenarios without much proof. I honestly don’t think it’s as big a deal as it it’s being told. Devers will be fine as long as he gets a couple 3B starts at week. It’ll be fine.
The Boston media needs to be kept on point. They love stirring s*** up.
I take it you didn’t listen to what Devers said. It is not a media narrative. That was his own words and he didn’t use a translator. He was clear. He told the Red Sox that he would refuse to move to DH if asked.
The fact that Devers didn’t use the translator makes me wonder if he accurately understood the question.
He speaks English well. He uses a translator so that his words can be made to sound ok by the translator when he inevitably says something stupid.
I saw the interview. Devers was receiving interpretations of questions from the interpreter and answering back in Spanish. I doubt he speaks English well.
The question in that interview about whether he would move to DH if asked to by the team was not fielded by his interpreter at all. It wasn’t repeated to him by the interpreter. He simply said no. He would refuse to move to DH.
If you have been to speing training you know Devers speaks English pretty well and interacts with fans in English without any translation. He has no excuse for his behavior in this case.
@all in…Now that’s some wishful thinking without any evidence…
and what’s your conclusion and evidence for it????
Sports media ,the birthplace of ”fake news”!! Some of the most miserable talk shows even when Boston teams are winning multiple championships (13) !!
I guarantee Breslow is looking for a trade for Devers but he can’t publicly state it and lose any leverage he has with other clubs. Breslow has to say everything is fine, then tell Devers to shut up so he can get some value back in a trade.
King: It might not be a bad idea to offload Devers’ contract with his shoulder issues. If he couldn’t get his shoulders right over an offseason, I’m not sure what the future holds.
@all….I think Devers’ shoulder is why he hasn’t already been traded. They have to prove he’s healthy before somebody steps in and offers a proper package. Newsweek has gone ham and has trade scenarios.
So the Red Sox are going to trade Devers in deference to a guy who might not be on the team next year…
Oh, yeah, it’s gonna be so awful
They can talk about all the positive vibes but they simply cannot escape the fact that, by any metric you may examine (e.g. OSA, DRS) Bregman is a farrrrr superior 3B man than Devers. So, the real question they should be asking would be directed to Devers and it should be:”how do you feel about playing 20-25 games at 3rd and the remainder at DH”?
the question should probably be does devers want everyone to hyper focus on every mistake/error he makes at 3rd when he pushed a far superior player off his position. Also any error at 3rd and a loss will be probably have it in the media saying they should move him off there and let the better fielder play there.
It’s not a question of Bregman being the superior third baseman. It’s a question of how to best utilize a roster that includes the likes of Yoshida, Casas, Devers, and Bregman. If it were about choosing Devers or Bregman for DH, yeah, your point is we’ll made and needed, but because Bregman can play elsewhere (and one of those spots might be wide open) there are some other considerations. Might not change the end result, but it merits thinking about.
Long – I had to read about 20 comments but finally I see one that makes sense, thank you!!
Baseball is a team sport, which means you have to consider how every decision affects the entire team.
Those with tunnel vision who see only Bregman and Devers and go “Derrr Bregman good glove Devers bad glove give 3B position to Bregman” have no concept of thinking through the domino affect caused by making a change in that manner.
“Baseball is a team sport”. Wow! You must be an MLB executive using a false moniker to share your insightful genius with the 20 of us mere mortals. Arrogant tool.
Put your mask back on, get back in your Subaru and drive to the nearest TJ Maxx and pick up some frilly undies for yourself.
Longinus, Yoshi isn’t playing anytime soon. He can’t throw. Hasn’t even started throwing. He isn’t doing batting practice yet. Just hitting off a tee. If everything goes perfect from here on out in his rehab he is still a couple of months from playing in games and as far as I can find only 1 player that has had surgery for a tear to the labrum in their shoulder has returned and played as well within the 1st two years after the surgery. Devers is a much better hitter than Yoshi when Yoshi was healthy so that discussion is over for now.
IMHO what bears some discussion is who will take over at 3B when Bregman opts out. It won’t be Devers. So Mayer or Campbell or ???
The only thing higher than Baltimore’s crime rate is gonna be the home run rate against Bore-ioles pitchers this year
82-80
Fletcher, guns & baseball don’t mix man. (Actually I’ll just assume that’s a radar gun, so we cool nvm.)
Prospect worship/hoarding leads passing up opportunities to trade for competent starting pitching.
The orioles have shown they can win without any pitching at all (see injuries 2024 to nearly entire rotation). There is no real hope at all of the Sox passing them this season. The gap between the orioles and Red Sox is tremendous.
You truly are delusional if you genuinely believe that
I’m knocking the Orioles’ projected record down to 80-82
Devers and Triston Casas to Blue Jays for Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Solves problems for both teams.
Bath salts for lunch today, ping?
Bath salts dipped in Fentanyl with a side of meth.
Wade – To his credit he didn’t also say to include Yoshida with Boston paying $50M of his salary, so I guess the meth didn’t kick in yet.
Underrated pick-me-up
Point God.
Two solid hitters with years left on their contracts for a chunky rental?
let – Can we trade Ping for the “Wow” guy? It would be a posting upgrade.
you would think this topic would have been one they would have discussed before giving Bregman $120,000,000! guess not….
There has been a lot discussed by the team. Why do you think it was reported that they didn’t see it as an unquestionable slam dunk. But you’re foolishly conflating the public debate with the team’s internal thinking.
Long – Not sure what you mean by slam dunk, but they didn’t want to give him more than 3 years and Bregman refused to accept 3 years. That’s what caused the long delay, and that’s why the Arenado to Boston trade was on hold for a long time.
The controversy is a bit overplayed. Sure, Devers may be coming off as selfish but in reality how will the roster align if you move him off 3rd? Casas isn’t moving off 1st. Yoshida is clogging a DH spot, seems very unlikely to be traded, and will generate negative press if benched. You put Bregman at 3rd and you still have a hole at SS or 2B, depending on where you play Story. Hamilton is probably better suited as the backup guy. The way the roster is currently situated, putting Bregman in the SS/2B hole is probably best. And I’d be surprised if he doesn’t excel at either role
Yoshida cannot play yet. He is not throwing yet and is only hitting off the tee. No live batting practice. Playing in games is still a few months out.
Yoshida goes to the IL to start the season and the Red Sox kick the can down the road until then.
What they can’t kick down the road is making the decision that Devers is moving to DH. The longer they talk around making that call, the worse the situation gets. Rip the band-aid off and just tell him that is where he will be playing.
There’s a lot of talk that he’ll be ready by or soon after opening day. Not sure how far that can can be kicked and you still have to address the fact that either Devers or Yoshida will be playing in the field at some point. Unless one of them gets traded, which doesn’t seem likely
Ultimately it comes down to would you rather have Devers play 3rd or Yoshida play OF. Both are terrible options
Yoshida is absolutely tradable, once the Sox accepted fact that they will have to pay down 75-80 percent of his contract.
Fraud, Yoshida won’t be playing until May at the earliest. He cannot throw at all yet, so OF is off the table. That leaves DH and he isn’t hitting off pitchers or even a pitching machine yet. He only started taking dry swings 3 weeks ago and as of yesterday was still just hitting balls off the tee.
Bregman >> Devers >> Yoshida.
Yoshida is sunk money. Once he is healthy enough to play, eat 80% of it and trade him. Getting him off the roster and Devers off 3B is the most valuable move.
Cora said yesterday that he won’t be ready.
What if Devers says “play me at third, or trade me, if not I’m holding out and you can put me on the Restricted List.” Do you think Breslow could accommodate him on a trade if push came to shove?
I think he’d listen to offers but I think moving that contract for someone who wants to play terrible 3B defense isn’t going to be easy. I also don’t think Devers would sit out and give up money over this. I think he’s understandably passionate about his position but would take DH over not playing at all
man – Only the mouth-breathing EEI callers view Devers as selfish, because they don’t understand the facts.
Facts are:
1) Devers was promised just 2 years ago he would play 3B longterm.
2) Red Sox never would have given him a $291.5M extension just 2 years ago if they had concerns about his poor defense.
3) Red Sox, specifically Cora, never had Devers try out at first base even with golden opportunities to do so …. wouldn’t even allow him to play it in the WBC.
4) Try finding a player, any veteran player, who went directly from the field to fulltime DH while still in his 20’s.
You absolutely nailed it with the rest of your post though, the mouth-breathers calling up WEEI have such bad tunnel vision they can’t grasp how Devers moving to DH could negatively impact so many other aspects.
In 1999 David Ortiz, in his 20s, switched from being a regular 1B to a full-time DH, while with the Twins.
This happened after he was worked with to improve his defense as a 1B, and, failed to do so compared to other better fielders on their roster.
GaSox – Where do you get this stuff from?
In 1999 Ortiz played in only TEN games in total …. all year, every role combined, TEN games total!
In 2000 he played a total of 130 games, and he started only 25 of those games at 1B … all the rest were as DH.
He never established himself as a 1B, the Twins tried in 1998 but he was awful.
Besides, my original point which I detailed a while ago in a response to Wait, was you never see established position players going straight to fulltime DH without playing 1B first, which is the easiest position to field.
I gave several detailed examples of former 3B who either platooned a while or played 1B before going to fulltime DH.
Fever – it comes.from a chemo addled brain.
Ortiz was a 1B, and, he went down to AAA to stick at 1B and work more at it. It was 1999 they threw in the towel at 1B and switched him to DH. But he had been a milb 1B, and a MLB 1B, then a milb 1B again before the change.
I don’t mind you’re defense of him, you’re consistent in it which is why I find it a defensible position for you to take – not like some who jump on the popular trains on a whim.
But for me, and it’s one of my flaws, I tend to expect bigger things from people – be it responsibility, maturity, etc – because I know they can, and they should, be capable of those things. I don’t give them the out for lack of drive/ambition/motivation to want to reach their potential in those areas. Granted, it’s their choice to indulge themselves in such faults, but, Devers has the capability to act like a big boy/grown up. He just needs to stop being coddled and stop being allowed to indulge in the immaturity
Also, curiously, the ‘awful’ 1998 you reference for Ortiz, he had a .989 fielding percentage, and, made a total of 6 errors in 71 games. And that’s without MLB placing a thumb on the scoring of errors to give Devers benefit of the doubt that Ortiz didn’t get that season….
How does that compare to Devers’ fielding percentage, or, errors totals… I know the answer, I just want you to say it. Because if that Ortiz performance was awful, then Devers is… atrocious?
GaSox – Maybe you didn’t see it because I know it’s hard to follow posts around here (at least it’s hard for me), but I already said exactly what you said!
They should have given him an ultimatum at least 3 years ago, improve his defense or he will lose his 3B position.
The fact they gave him a monster contract just 2 years ago indicates they were happy with his overall performance!
This reminds me of a couple I know who is getting divorced. I asked why she is divorcing him.
Her: “He is messy, he doesn’t clean up after himself, and he’s too involved in sports”.
Me: “But he’s always been that way. Before the wedding didn’t you tell him he needs to change those things?”.
Her: “No”.
This is a big reason why the divorce rate is so high, people choose to end a marriage without telling their spouse what needs to change. They are given the impression everything is fine, until it’s over and THEN they are told it wasn’t fine after all. That is incredibly unfair.
Sagacity did FPG mute you as well ? I don’t know what’s going on with this guy. We had always been civil with each other. This Devers thing is making him go out of his mind.
Doesn’t everyone have Sagacity muted?
They didn’t lie to Devers, they changed their minds. There’s a difference.
LFGS – I get what you did there …. the famous Costanza quote “It’s not a lie if you believe it” ;O)
There are no negatives to Devers moving to DH. Yoshida is not even a consideration. All options are better than Devers at 3B because Devers at 3B costs the Red Sox wins.
Bregman/Story/Grissom/Casas = better
Bregman/Campbell/Grissom/Casas = better
Bregman/Story/Campbell/Casas = better
Bregman/Mayer/Campbell/Casas = better
Mayer or Campbell/Story/Bregman/Casas = Better
If all the others besides Bregman play at a replacement level it’s better than Devers at 3B because he plays negative WAR defense. Moving him to DH full time adds to his impact on winning games. Playing him at 3B detracts from his impact on winning games.
Big Papi moved to DH in his 20s.
But but but Oriole prospects.
Bregman keeps hitting like he did this weekend, Raffy will be DHing
cdr – Bregman’s hitting has absolutely nothing to do with him playing 3B.
Bregman is not fighting for a job, neither is Devers.
If Bregman has a .500 OPS in ST and Devers has a 1.400 OPS, Bregman still plays 3B.
It’s a fielding “competition”, why on Earth would Bregman’s hitting have anything to do with which position he plays???
You seem nervous.
Bregman was always the square peg for the round hole in this instance.
Cora wanted him and got his way in an internal power struggle and Devers is collateral damage.
Anyone who suggests (not pointing fingers on this thread) that making Devers everyday DH is good for a 10 game swing in the standings is flat out wrong. The team won 108 games just a few years ago when Devers played 121 at 3B. How do you explain that. He was a much WORSE fielder six years ago than he is now.
Chaim wrecked the team and Breslow is a novice trying to put it back together, and has made some serious mistakes. Cora doesn’t help matters either. Francona would’ve made sure to have this worked out, instead of AC’s “my way or the highway” comments.
Since Xander left Devers has had no help on his left side. There hasn’t been a first baseman able to help his throwing either.
The starting pitching is improved but has an injury history problem. Yoshida situation unsettled. Second base remains muddled. Left and Center field need to be set. Catching future now in Chicago.
How is Alex Bregman the solution to all this?
There’s work to be done. The talent level is the highest it’s been in 5 years, but this is a team that seems (well) unsettled right now.
Devers is a terrible 3B. Whether the Sox signed Bregman or not, for years the best possible outcome for the team could only be accomplished by moving him off 3B. He has gotten worse over the years.
Bregman is both a better all-around player and a very good defensive player at 3B. At this late stage that there is even a question who will start at 3B doesn’t bode well for the Sox season.
Sad – Fantastic post!!! Glad to see you posting again.
@sad.Sox
Story is a vastly superior SS than XB. XB has the better bat but has no range.
By just a few years ago you mean 8 seasons.
He was worth a -11DRS in that season. The better question might be how many more games boston mightve won had Devers been capable of better defense.
Unlike that team, there is a superior defender who can step up and play 3B, a guy who just won a GG doing it in fact.
The real question requires tough decisions and tough answers. Who is running the team? Is it the players? Do they get to pick their position? Why not let them make their own lineup card too and choose where they prefer to hit in the order. And let the pitchers decide who will come into what games, in what innings, while we’re at it? Sounds absurd right?
Or, do we let coaches and management evaluate who is strongest at each position, then assign them there.
Let devers EARN playing 3B by skill, not by being a baby/diva/immature brat. Show he deserves it. If he can do that, let him play there. If not, bump him and let him put in extra work to improve until he earns it.
GaSox – Ironically those who matter the most, MLB players, have a different definition of “earn”.
Many current and former players have insisted Devers has *earned* the right to be treated with respect, he *earned* it with his 11 years seniority and his .876 OPS since 2019 and his 5 consecutive years of MVP nominations (not counting the 2020 joke of a season when he was injured).
I agree with both you and them.
I agree with you that Devers shouldn’t be playing third base.
But I also agree with them that the Red Sox are handling this atrociously, and Cora telling him he has to *compete* this spring with Bregman to keep his 3B position – while still recovering from his injuries no less – is highly disrespectful.
Just curious, are you one of the people who want the Red Sox to give Vladdy $400M+ next offseason?
If you’re Vladdy, why on Earth would you trust the Red Sox to keep him at 1B after seeing how they’ve treated his good friend Devers?
You don’t think the Red Sox treatment of Devers has an impact on Vlad?
I do *NOT* want Vladdy Jr in BOS.
I want money to go to locking up either crochet or Houck on an extension based on what we see this season… or both. And I’d like some money held in reserve for young position player extensions to go to players *NOT* named Casas.
And I’d like to see a war chest to continue investing in some pitching.
GaSox – I’m totally with you there!
One solid healthy year from Crochet, that’s all I need to see. Then pay the man!
I’m on the fence with Casas, TBD.
Devers has earned a paycheck, not the right to play 3B.
Sad sack – you sound like AOC, lol.
Kinda funny but Bregman just launched a homer way over the left field wall in his first spring training at-bat. You could almost hear him saying to himself: “A couple dozen more of those at Fenway and I’m outa here.”
So Devers may not have to wait for long before a spot opens back up at third.
Casey – If Devers is healthy, he very well could be requesting a trade and I would think the Sox would be smart enough to accommodate him.
Devers was specifically asked “Would you request a trade” and his answer made it very clear it’s a possibility.
Or, and this would be my answer, let him earn his position. And if he doesn’t like it, let him retire and forfeit his salary.
If he wants a trade, let it be for a kings ransom, on the team’s terms. But no catering to his whims because he’s a self entitled spoiled diva.
GaSox – Have you forgotten how bad it gets when a team has a malcontent player, especially one who has been the face of the franchise and is very much respected by the players?
If he asks to be traded and the Red Sox refuse, he could easily decide to dog it while collecting his salary. He could Rendon it by saying “Oh my shoulders hurt, I can’t play” etc etc.
Don’t you remember how bad it got with Nomar and especially with Manny? You don’t remember Manny intentionally taking 3 straight called strikes while pinch hitting in a key spot against the Yankees?
When a player (employee) is a malcontent, there’s always only one solution …. get rid of him.
I’ve never seen Devers as the face of the franchise…. oh, I know that Kennedy/Henry *wanted* him to become that… but he never did. Not in my opinion.
He never stepped up as a leader. Never connected to the fans. Never led the clubhouse or rallied the team or called/led meetings to straighten things out.
In the various careers I’ve had, I’ve never let malcontents push me around. And I get it, sure, he’s got a huge contract, whatever. The Henry of old would give that the Castillo treatment, back when he wasn’t a penny pincher and had some fire in his belly. I’d find a reason to do much the same, saying clearly the player needed time to work on his defense. 😛
GaSox – Face of the franchise isn’t always the team leader.
The past two seasons, who was a bigger star on the Red Sox than Devers? Who was the only carryover from the 2017-2018 glory years? Who had the biggest contract?
Sale was hurt in 2023 so it wasn’t him.
It was definitely Devers …. tops in jersey sales, face on the cover of every promotion, young guy in his prime.
Yes ownership and management wanted Devers to be a team leader, and he did try for a while …. but he’s just too shy, sensitive, and quirky. Not everyone is born to be a leader.
Fever, I think Duran was the best selling jersey last year wasn’t he?
GaSox – I’ll search to confirm. Duran probably outsold all of his teammates in the second half of last season, but he started the season as kind of an unknown to casual fans. Whenever I went to games, it was Devers name that I saw the most of the current players.
But yeah, people have been buying Devers’ jersey since 2017 and once they have it they won’t be buying it again. So it is possible Duran passed him in sales.
A lot of fans don’t want to spend the money on a jersey of a player that isn’t signed for very long, because then it becomes basically worthless when he leaves.
And given the revolving door of the bloom years…. maybe you see more Devers jerseys by default as the last guy still around, as opposed to lots of Devers jerseys because he’s some idolized favorite?
Not sure. It’s been a rough 6 years to be a sox fan, what with not having much for jerseys worth buying lol
GaSox – You are absolutely correct, the only reason is because he was literally the last active star remaining after Xander and JD left.
Another factor is the high turnover. Fans don’t want to pay for a guy’s jersey if they are gonna be around only 1 or 2 years. It’s the same situation in Tampa, causing low jersey sales which contribute to their low revenue.
People thought #11 would be around 11 years … not looking like it now.
I agree the vibes are bad and I for one cannot wait to see this blow up in Boston’s face.
BTW, I’m collecting Orioles fans tears. I’ll be stopping by for your donation around June.
What’s that beeping sound? A garbage truck backing up?
Good luck. I don’t think you’ll find a single orioles fan who is worried about the Red Sox. The Red Sox have about as much a chance of overtaking the orioles this year as I have of making the Red Sox roster.
dan – If you’re buddies with Cora, you have a great chance of making the Red Sox roster ;O)
So today Cora the assclown completely switched gears on Devers/Bregman.
Cora has NOW stated Devers, who is scheduled to begin playing next Wednesday, will play 3B throughout ST and Bregman will play 2B the remainder of ST.
And just days ago Cora was still saying ST would be a “competition” between Devers and Bregman for 3B ….. what a total assclown Cora is. Sure sounds like he’s doing what he can to make Devers happy after Cora blindsided him …until Bregman takes over 3B or Devers gets traded, whichever comes first.
Seems like there are zero plans for Devers to even try learning first base, probably to keep Casas happy.
What a disaster the Red Sox have been with handling this situation. Not surprising considering there’s no analytics when it comes to dealing with the human aspect of personnel decisions.
At least Grissom and Campbell got to play 2B today,finally a good decision.
Breslow, having a player publicly state that he would refuse to move to another position is a problem. That you don’t see it, is a testament to your failure as a GM.
The situation is one that you or Cora should have headed off at the pass by issuing a statement the moment Bregman was signed. Regardless of what your decision was, you should have announced that decision definitively and immediately. That is what good leaders and winning organizations do.
Baseball – I’ve prepared the statement you reference.
Cora or Breslow – “It doesn’t matter that Raffy Devers was lied to about his playing future. It doesn’t matter that an enormous extension was just given to him as a reward for his all-around play. It doesn’t matter he was never warned that he would lose his 3B position if he didn’t improve his fielding.
We are the Boston Red Sox, we don’t give a damn about morals or ethics or respect. We were idiots when we gave him the extension, and we are idiots now for creating this mess. Raffy needs to deal with it, we pay him therefore his ass is ours”.
Cora has said they will put the best team possible on the field and that it’s about the team and not any individual. So, if the best team has Devers moving off 3B, that’s what will happen. I think Devers will be fine.
Suit – I think it comes down more to 2B and SS than it does 3B…
If someone else proves they’re ready and able to play a better 2B or SS than Devers at 3B as far as overall team defense impact, that frees up bregman to play the hot corner with Story taking the remaining either SS or 2B, he’s proven he can handle both
going to make this as simple as possible. If Devers plays any position other than DH, the Red Sox are a worse team.
His defense was so bad at 3B that it made his WAR 0.4 lower than it would have been at DH even though there is a 17-run differential between 3B and DH in the positional adjustment in WAR. Because of that, no matter who plays 2B, SS, or 3B, the Red Sox will be a better team with Devers at DH.
Man, with all these injuries and position battles, the Red Sox season is already shaping up to be a real knee-slapper… or in Crawford’s case, maybe not.
They have a gaping hole at 2B. Bregman can play there and play it well. If you put Bregman at 3B(Which of course we know he is the far better fielder then Devers), who plays 2B? Are we banking on Campbell making the team and just becoming the starting 2B? He’s got talent, but it’s a big ask. I think the team starts with Bregman playing 2B and goes from there. Devers has a great bat, but otherwise he is not a great ballplayer. You can’t really shoehorn him in anywhere else(can he play 1B? it was suggested in the earlier posts that he stinks there….)
Grissom is less of a liability overall at 2B than Devers is playing 3B. Campbell would be a better option than Devers at 3B even if he proves to not be able to hit MLB pitching. Ditto Mayers.
I caution you on that statement regarding grissom. To date he’s only had smaller sample sizes, which, are notoriously suspect. *HOWEVER* even if you projected those samples out over playing 150-ish games, you’re going to see a very devers-like error rate.
Having Devers, grissom, and Casas in one infield at the same time is a nightmare in the making. Which makes last winter more of a headscratcher, but, thats neither here not there.
Point is, you can’t swap drivers for grissom on your defense, not unless and until grissom shows better defense than he has thus far.
GASox, you are right about that. Grissom has only 613 innings at 2B in the majors and a -4 DRS/YR. Bad, but not as bad as the -9 DRS that Devers has produced. You are right though that it’s a small sample size. 1200 innings is considered a full season, and you usually need more than 1 full season to make any definitive call like we can with Devers.
As a prospect, Grissom graded out as a 45 FV on defense. That is below MLB average.
Let me qualify my statement. From what we have seen so far, Grissom is still less of a liability on defense at 2B than Devers has proven to be at 3B. Campbell and Mayers should be better options at 2B or 3B on defense than Devers at 3B.
Or Mayer becomes the new 3B after bregman either opts out of his contract runs out.
Thanks CF. This is what I’ve been saying all along and others have misconstrued it as blind support for Devers petulant behavior.
Is Bregman a better fielder, of course he is. But, today, the massive questions facing this team really don’t start with third base defense.
We all love Campbell and want to see him succeed. But, I am not betting the mortgage that his spectacular rise through the ranks is a fail-safe bet for 150 games of great defense and superlative offense. That’s a lot to put on a kid.
Bregman said he would play second. This should have always been the scenario, at least until the all star game. Take a half season, get Devers out of the box happy, allow the kids (Campbell and Grissom, whoever you prefer, or whomever wins the position) get their legs under themselves. Figure out what Ykshida even is on this team, and THEN start to remove Devers from the third base mix.
Geez, for all the talk of interpersonal management here it shouldn’t be that hard to figure Devers will go along, he just doesn’t want it thrown in his face, when all he’s done since he’s been here is go out and rake.
Good post. Management created a problem when none needed to exist.
Sad Sack, Devers is a liability at 3B. He has cost your team wins every season. He is more valuable to the team if he never touches a glove. If all he does is what he does well, namely hit.
Any player that can put up an overall WAR above 0.0 at 2B would be more valuable to the team winning games than Devers playing in the field. Campbell, Mayer, even Grissom. They don’t have to be good. They just have to put up a WAR above 0.0.
Yoshida is not a consideration. Cora said yesterday that he has finally started his throwing program, making soft tosses from 45 feet, and has yet to see live pitching. They didn’t say it, but that means he will start the season on the IL. At this point there is no way he can progress fast enough to even be ready for a rehab assignment, let alone play in games that mean something prior to the start of the regular season. A typical throwing program progression for a position player returning from an injury to their shoulder is 8 weeks. That means he should be able to throw with something approaching full strength by late-April at the earliest. Once he can throw at game speed, then he can go on a rehab assignment. Figure 10 days to get his bat up to game speeds and he might be ready to return to Boston by May 12th-15th if everything goes well.
There is nothing blocking Devers from starting the first month or two at DH. Even after that a 134 OPS+ DH is better than a 112 OPS+ DH. Yoshida is the odd man out and once healthy can be traded or simply DFA’d. His roster spot is more valuable than his production.
You have to make a decision. Do you want to win games or play Devers at 3B?
Sad Sox. I am sorry. My autocorrect put sack and I didn’t notice until it was too late to change it. My apologies.
This whole scenario lies at the feet of Red Sox management. To sign a player to a 10-year contract and “promise” them that they’ll be installed as their 3rd baseman for the entirety of the next decade was ridiculous and short-sighted. The fact that said player is also acting childish about the realities of aging and declining skills doesn’t help either.
Well said. Teams shouldn’t be promising players any position or batting order spot. It’s not fair to their manager or their teammates. The Phillies are in a similar situation with Trea Turner, who has been a poor shortstop at ages 30-31 and is signed through age 40.
phillies – If Cora was a competent manager, he would have told Devers at least 3 years ago – before the contract extension – that he either improves the defense within a year, or he could lose his third base position. THAT is what should have been done.
It’s so important for a manager to COMMUNICATE what is expected of each player, and provide a timeline of when those expectations need to be met, and let them know what the consequences could be if he doesn’t meet them.
This is basic Manager 101 $hit here, but Cora being Cora couldn’t grasp the concept.
Dog – I totally agree! And yes Devers is immature, everyone including Cora and the front office has always known that.
All the more reason why what we call an “Action Plan” should have been put in place with Devers BEFORE they gave him the extension.
Devers bat can be elite and frustrating as heck. If this is an out to trade Devers and maybe save some face on the deal then maybe you do it for the right deal. The Devers contract is not going to age well at all. His swing is Violent and ya he gets to a lot of balls most people cant, but he also misses a lot of balls others hit. I just don’t see him performing well as he gets older especially with the shoulder issues he is having and the his swing….
AK – You make some good points, but you forget he will be only 36 during the last year of his contract. Elite hitters typically don’t decline before Age 37.
The injury concerns are very valid though, but impossible to predict. I’ve followed the Sox for many decades, I’ve heard people say Fisk was washed up at 31, Boggs was washed up at 34, Clemens was washed up at 30, and more recently Sale was washed up at 30 and Ortiz was washed up at 33. All were proven wrong, obviously.
Devers is one of the Top 4 hitters in the game, he proved that again last year. I wouldn’t count on an early demise just yet.
They cheaped out on starting pitching by going with the ‘hope and prayer’ approach of acquiring former stars on the cheap who are all dealing with major injuries, then hoping for all best case scenarios when they should’ve at least signed one of the major free agents out there to solidiy the rotation. Or they should’ve traded for Cease. They took the same approach also with the bullpen, and as of today, they have no closer.
Saga – whaaaaaattttttt are you talking about????????
Devers was placed on the Injured List on July 29th of 2018, and missed almost three weeks over two seperate stints on the IL. His missing games and third base being played by Eduoard Nunez had absolutely nothing to do with his defense or Cora making some sort of statement, and certainly not because of Nunez’s also sub-league average fielding.
Well. You would know the inner workings of Cora’s mind (I guess).
“ and, by extension, Rafael Devers” is bad writing. Don’t bury the subject by interruption; put Devers before “by extension.”
My take is that Bregman is a team player. He’s not going to say anything against a teammate. That means he stands up for Devers, and it also means he’s along for the ride when they start banging on trash cans. He’s all-in with his teammates and their shenanigans.
That’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse.
Not much to see here most likely the big three will start in AAA Worcester. There are legit reasons this will probably happen and very defense-able. Campbell can work on his second base defense, Anthony just might not crack a loaded outfield, Mayer isn’t breaking camp under any condition he needs to lay off the breaking balls out of the zone and remain healthy in AAA. Maybe either Anthony or Campbell just hit so well that they force their way onto the opening day lineup but if the aren’t going to start then they will start in AAA where they will get everyday at bats.
Under this scenario my belief is Devers starts at third and Bregman plays second to start the season. I also think Devers will be on thin ice and the pitchers might have something to say about it. If this happens I wonder what happens when Devers makes an error in a game pitched by Buehler he’s not exactly the most forgiving when a fielder makes a bad error. The pitchers might ultimately have something to say especially Buehler whose pitching for a contract probably begin with him Bregman at third when he pitches and snowballs from there.
If Grissom or Campbell flat out win the second base job by having a big spring then management is going to have to have a tough talk with Devers he’s simply going to have to be the secondary option maybe play once or twice a week when Bregman gets a rest or possibly DH’s. Under this scenario there is no room for Masa and he will have to moved or simply not play much. Injuries will probably take care a lot of this though. I think they will slow play Devers off of third that’s the most likely scenario.
Saga – since you think its ok to insult others, i will be more pointed in my critiques of your posts. You, frankly, are all over the place. You hate Devers, called Cora a cheat, Verdugo was too outspoken, Casas should be moved…..who do you like?
Bregman was on the Astros, is he a cheater? And, you say Bregman is the best player on the team right now and is beyond any criticism. HE HASNT PLAYED ONE REGULAR SEASON GAME IN A RED SOX UNIFORM YET!!!!!
Can we please stop the negative discourse? This is the most talent the team has had since 2018. Let’s get our house in order, figure out the alignment and order, start negotiating extensions and win games.
As multiple posters on this thread have said, it is very likely that Devers will be mostly DH in the second half and going forward. You can’t see that because all you want is your way. The only one here more petulant than Devers is YOU.
Saga I think it’s also possible Devers was blindsided but once things settle in he accepts the move to DH. I don’t know if you remember but Pivetta was interviewed once about the bullpen, just before he was moved to the pen, and he reacted angrily and argumentative saying he’s a starter period among other things. He went to the pen and didn’t complain anymore. I could see this happening as camp goes on. Bregman would emerge as the starter with Devers spelling him a couple of times a week. I think things will work out. In this scenario Grissom and Hamilton would share second assuming that they want to start Campbell in AAA to work on his defense at 2nd.
Bruins – thanks for being the voice of reason.
The Sox management is very corporate, and not worried about the ego of athletes that have been catered to and pampered their entire lives.
I think everyone believes (hopes) that Devers will accept whatever role he ultimately is given, but the way this is going down is a masterclass in Interpersonal MIsmanagement 101
Saga there’s a lot more to defense then just looking at errors. One of the big reasons that Campbell isn’t even close to being the best fielder on the Red Sox, Story and Bregman are far superior defenders and it’s not even close. The reason why Campbell at short doesn’t record enough outs it’s simple as that he’s probably giving up an extra half hit at least to an average big league shortstop and that is far more damaging then an extra error every 20-25 games. When you look at baseball reference rf/9 he’s subpar by more than half a hit per game. I know you will probably po po this stat because it doesn’t serve you but you know what’s also a fact there are no big league shortstops with a factor that low none that I can find. His arm is just not good enough for the left side of the infield. He’s fine for 2nd but he’s struggling turning the double play at second. You can advocate for him as much as you want but he’s probably not a shortstop and saying he’s the best infield defender is lubricous. You should probably check your facts before stating he split his time in college at 2nd and short that’s a lie he played zero innings at short at Georgia Tech he was such a good defensive shortstop. You need to stop looking at fielding percentage and make judgements your wrong and deep down you know it.
It must be exhausting to be so nasty to people all the time. It’s exhausting to read, that’s for sure.
Amen to that
Please stop with the insults and let’s have a civil discourse. We’re all Sox FANS!! Well, for the most part anyway.
We all love baseball, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. We can all spend the whole day researching for an obscure stat that proves OUR own point.
I also believe that we’re all former players to one point or another, whether that’s minor league, low minors, college, high school or little league. I’m sure, that we also watch the games, or else we wouldn’t be on this site.in my opinion, as a former player (ready to compare Baseball Reference pages whenever you want) ex-players don’t normally go around calling random posters names such as idiot, or moron. That’s usually reserved for those who are friendless grumps who live in their own bubble and use lots of words to silence others who no longer wish to be denigrated.
If we only wanted one person to have an opinion we would all wait until after you post and then nod our heads in agreement like the good sycophants you want surrounding you.
Ok, thanks for listening guys, and…..
GO SOX!!!!!
You know KD we’ve been at this for years and once again I harken back to the old saying “ Pot Kettle Black” you’re familiar with that saying you should because it defines you.
Your something else you spout off conspiracy theories and come up with obscure stats to support your bs claims about Devers. You claim he has 50 more errors a year then he’s given credit for by spouting an obscure stat and then you have the balls to claim RF factor is a stupid stat when your the king of ridiculous meaningless stats. It’s you who doesn’t understand how to use that stat. It’s a remedial but telling number that can point a problem with a fielder that simply doesn’t make enough plays to be viable for that position. It’s simple but relatively effective I’m not comparing Mayer I’m simply saying that the numbers suggest this guy isn’t a shortstop. There is not 1 big league shortstop that has a range factor at shortstop as low as him. He’s not even in the same league defensively at short with Trevor Story. My guess is they would probably use David Hamilton before him at short. I mean the guy didn’t even okay one minute of shortstop in college he couldn’t even win the staring shortstop job in college! The guy played zero shortstop in 2023 and then played 298 innings in 2024 in fact until this season he hasn’t played short since high school and in a small sample size of 298 innings you want to declare a guy that I would bet you haven’t watched play one play at short the best fielder on the team. Right, this sounds about on par for you, you look at one stat not even taking into account the sample size and never watching him play that position for one play. When you read it out loud sounds kinda of ridiculous doesn’t it?
KD: you’re literally going back in time to high school to try and make your point while ignoring the fact that almost all star high school players start and SS before moving off the position. He did not SS in college which is telling. Campbell was auditioned at SS to add versatility and had nothing to do with Mayer failing at all. Also when players graduate and are drafted at a particular position IE Campbell being draft as 2B instead of SS is generally a negative for them playing the position they weren’t drafted at.
Honestly KD I don’t care what he Campbell in High School there are lots of High School shortstops that aren’t shortstops when they get to the professional level. The facts and the reality is until last year Campbell hadn’t played shortstop since high school. He got time at shortstop because it was the best place for him to play to get his bat in the lineup. He’s Jack of all trades defender master of none his bat is his carrying tool and every single scouting report says the same thing there not sure where he will land defensively best guess is second base or left field chances are it’s not shortstop. These aren’t just my words its from people that know you can’t look at fielding percentage and make even a semi- intelligent decision about how good someone is defensively and why teams use much better defensive metrics then fielding percentage.
Let me dumb it down for you in order for fielding percentage to be the stat that you think it is the be all end all we would have to make some assumptions. If we look at shortstops only then in order for fielding percentage to be the stat you think it is then the we have assume all shortstops have the same range, arm strength, internal clock basically they all make the same plays therefore fielding percentage is the only separator. We know this is completely untrue and it’s why people that really understand baseball don’t quote fielding percentage and why professionals who make their living in baseball look at better metrics for defense. You can keep living in the past with an inferior statistic I’ll live in the present where there’s much better ways to judge defense you can’t win this argument sorry KD your wrong.
Acell I’ll go a step further about Campbell if he makes the team out of spring training which he probably won’t. They will play Hamilton and probably Rafaela before they would try Campbell as a big league shortstop. He’s probably ahead Vaughn Grissom as a shortstop but Grissom played a lot more shortstop than Campbell did in the minors.
Bruin: agreed. There’s a reason the Sox want to keep second open and it’s for Campbell. I personally haven’t given up on Grissom either and was hoping he’d win the job. We’ll see how it shakes it out.
That clown KD can dish but like a little B he can’t take it back.
he may have gotten booted for crossing the line one too many times. we’ll have to see what the next screen name will be.
Acell I think he blocked me he can dish it out but can’t take it he blocked me before when he was KD. No big loss.
All of his posts are gone at least from saga.. He muted me before too but I could still see his posts. even if he did as you said no big loss.
No my point is Story is by far the better defensive shortstop and it’s a fact end of argument!
Once again pot kettle black you quote the stupidest stat I have ever heard to say Devers has 50 errors a season and you want to talk stats get out if here.
This really the hill you want to die on? Do you realize how ignorant you sound basically your argument that Campbell is a big league shortstop is because he played shortstop in high school. Really, because that’s what you have besides 36 games last year he’s not a big league shortstop not yet. He’s Jack of all trades defender but master of none and that’s ok this guy is going to have to make his mark with the bat hopefully he will but a lot has to go wrong for this guy to be the next shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. There’s a big difference between a high school shortstop and an MLB shortstop what a silly argument and you’ve never seen the guy awkwardly play short because I’d venture to guess you haven’t seen him one. You just spout an antiquated poor by itself defensive metric and declare him the best infielder on the team what a joke go away while your light years behind.
When you actually see Campbell with your own eyes play shortstop you will realize how foolish your argument really was and why nearly to a man scouts don’t see him as a viable option at shortstop.
Big Papi need to have a conversation with Devers about becoming the Red Sox’s DH for the next 10 to 15 years. He’ll make great money, be able to concentrate on his hitting craft, and reduce the risk of becoming injured. Big Papi is a Boston Legend and Devers can easily join him.
Boston NEEDs to do whatever it takes to shed Yoshida, getting rid of his lefty bat.