In a breakdown of the Boston Red Sox's offseason, some of the players they lost outweigh even the best additions they made. Boston's new players have (so far) fit in well with the club and the vibes at spring training have been good as ever, but Red Sox fans on February 24 had some of their offseason pain raked up again.
Alex Bregman posted a carousel of spring training photos to his Instagram. Among the snapshots of his family and new Chicago Cubs teammates in Arizona was a picture of Bregman and Rafael Devers sharing a handshake.
The picture, of course, reminds Red Sox fans of the events that led up to June 15 of last year when Boston shipped Devers to the San Francisco Giants, representing yet another franchise-altering trade for an organization that is no stranger to such moves. Of course, most Red Sox fans expected Bregman to fill Devers' former spot at the hot corner for the next many years, but the offseason didn't pan out that way.
The Devers photo almost felt like it didn't belong in the mix Bregman posted, as the images were mostly Cubs-centric. At least Devers wasn't the only opposing teammate featured — Bregman also included a snap of he and Chicago White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami at third base.
Alex Bregman's Instagram post with Rafael Devers brought Red Sox fans too many memories
Despite their competition for the same position a year ago, Bregman and Devers attested that there hadn't been any bad blood between them. That is certainly clear now, as they continue meeting up with their connections to the Red Sox in the past.
The Red Sox have rebounded well from losing Bregman and Devers, even if the players they added don't cover the exact same bases (literally and figuratively) as the ones they lost. Willson Contreras is a veteran who could provide a boost of power and guide Carlos Narváez's development behind the plate and Triston Casas' at first base, and Caleb Durbin is a consistent hitter and solid defender under contract for the next five years.
Still, Red Sox fans can't help but wonder what another year with Bregman as the leader would've been like. Seeing he and Devers get along so well, even after the trade rumors and drama, leaves Sox fans to wonder even more.