Rafael Devers, Making $30M, Whines About Red Sox Asking For Position Switch

Rafael Devers is causing a lot of problems for the Boston Red Sox.

Devers has been a cornerstone for the Red Sox since his debut in 2017, signing a 10-year, $313 million deal in 2024 that should keep him in Boston for the rest of his career. He's been a consistently elite hitter, providing power, patience and relatively low strikeout rates. 

Devers' only weakness is his defense; while far from unplayable, he's been a well below-average defensive third baseman by most advanced metrics. When the Red Sox signed free agent Alex Bregman, a well-above-average defensive third baseman, they asked him to move to designated hitter, full-time. He wasn't happy.

READ: Rafael Devers' Refusal To Be A DH Isn't A Problem - Yet

With no other realistic option, Devers eventually agreed. And after a brutal start, he's been typically excellent on offense. It's helped keep the Red Sox within striking distance of first place in the AL East, just two games back entering Friday afternoon.

Then just a few weeks ago, first baseman Tristan Casas went down for the season with a knee injury, and Boston, understandably, asked him to move to first. Devers was even more unhappy than before, and this time he's publicly speaking out about it. 

Sep 12, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) throws out New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (not pictured) after fielding a ground ball during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Rafael Devers Doesn't Want To Move To First Base, Criticizes GM

Devers publicly criticized Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front office for daring to asking him to move positions. While making over $30 million per year.

"I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there," Devers said through a translator, according to the Boston Globe. "In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn't going to play any other position but DH."

"So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position," he continued.

He specifically called out Breslow, implying that the Red Sox head has an "issue" with him.

"I’m not certain what [issue] he has with me," Devers said to reporters. "He played ball, and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.

"I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know, someone in the outfield gets hurt, and they want me to play in the outfield."

It's hard to look worse than Devers does right now. 

Yes, Boston has asked him to move positions twice. He's also a professional baseball player, paid a ridiculous amount of money to help his team win. The Red Sox aren't asking him to play first just because they feel like it; they're asking him to play first because they're desperate. Casas was expected to be a key contributor on offense. He's now done for the year.

The correct response is to say he'll do whatever it takes to help Boston win another World Series. 

Contrast Devers' reaction to Mookie Betts with the Dodgers. Betts is a Gold Glove right fielder, yet in LA, he's been moved to second, back to right, to shortstop, back to right, and now back to short. Not only has he not complained, he's worked incredibly hard to improve his fielding in the infield, spending time with Troy Tulowitzki in the offseason to get better. And he's been a well above-average defensive shortstop through his first 35 games. 

That's shortstop, not first base. Boston has an opportunity to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021. Apparently they can't count on Devers to do whatever it takes to help them get there.