Rafael Devers is playing poker with the Boston Red Sox.
Rumors swirled that the third baseman wanted a trade from Beantown after Alex Bregman signed in free agency.
That left Devers without a field position to play. He was demoted from a field player to a designated hitter. It did not resonate well with Devers, but he was handling it like a professional, going out and doing what he requested every day.
When he made the move to DH, he asked for a ticket out of town. He hasn’t received the ticket yet, but he’s made his feelings clear after recently speaking with the media.
“It was the GM that I spoke with. I’m not sure what he has with me. He played ball and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy,” Devers said, per Sporting News.
“Now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player (to play first base). I’m not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have me now.”
Boston Could Be Forced Into Decision on Rafael Devers Soon
Billy Heyen of The Sporting News wrote that the Boston Red Sox might look to move Devers for a position they now need to fill.
“The Red Sox need a first baseman with Triston Casas out for the season,” Heyen wrote. “They seem to want Devers to play first. He doesn’t want to.”
Heyen added that the Red Sox are nearing a decision to either salvage the Devers relationship or cut their losses.
“There are also some calls on social media for Devers to be suspended,” Heyen wrote. “He’s not quite pulling a Jimmy Butler, but it’s not that far off. Boston needs Devers’ bat in its lineup to reach its goals. But at this point, Devers is shifting toward being a troublemaker. The Red Sox need to figure this out in a hurry, or a breakup could be on its way.”
Red Sox Attempting to Salvage Relationship
Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, team CEO Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers about his refusal to play first base. Henry met with Devers, and only manager Alex Cora was present. They met before the game on Friday and cleared the air a bit, but it is still relatively full of smog.
Henry and Devers refused to discuss the contents of the meeting, but Henry said they had an “honest and open exchange” about what was happening.
Breslow shared with media members the essence of what was said.
Mark Polishuk of MLBtraderumors.com gave details on the meeting.
“Breslow said the intent was to have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox and that is being great teammates for each other,” Breslow said. “And so we think we had a productive conversation. John seems to have had a productive conversation. And that’s where things stand right now.”
Breslow defined what he considered a great teammate.
“I think it’s No. 1, being honest and open with communication. I think it is recognizing when there’s an opportunity to step up, when there’s a need for the group to be in front of any individual achievement or accomplishment,” Breslow said. “And I think it’s important that that gets reinforced given what we’re hoping to accomplish.”
Red Sox Predicted Into Making Surprising Rafael Devers Decision