The Boston Red Sox and their fans expected Rafael Devers to develop into one of the greatest designated hitters in baseball — something they're used to having on the roster. Devers was well on his way there, with 500 extra-base hits and home run power to spare. But David Ortiz will live on as the greatest DH in the Red Sox organization.
Ortiz has been something of a mentor to Devers throughout his career. The Hall of Famer didn't mince words when he revealed his opinion on the Red Sox's June 15 trade that sent the face of their franchise to the San Francisco Giants.
"Players need to take this as an example, nobody is indispensable," Ortiz said, per Yancen Pujols. "You need to be smart and understand the situation. Your worst enemy is your ego."
Ortiz has made similar comments about the Devers position change debacle in the past, and said, if it were him, he'd do whatever was necessary to help the team win. He did do that during his career — Ortiz was a full-time DH, but he appeared at first base in 19 of his 20 big league seasons for a total of 278 games at the corner.
David Ortiz says Rafael Devers' ego was what ruined his relationship with the Red Sox pic.twitter.com/L0DRQHLOt6
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 16, 2025
Devers' ego did get in the way of the team's desires. He wouldn't move to first base after he felt he was wronged by the front office, and a team leader should want to do uncomfortable things that are in the club's best interest. But the same argument can be made against the front office.
It would be interesting to hear management try to justify lying to Devers, the face of the franchise, about its offseason plans. Was it Craig Breslow's ego that made him believe he could pull one over on Devers? Or maybe that he could get away with being the opposite of a "team player" when he accused and eventually traded Devers for the same infraction?
David Ortiz says Rafael Devers' ego forced Red Sox into trading him to Giants
Ortiz also said immaturity may have factored into the Red Sox's decision to trade Devers.
“I played for the Red Sox a long time, you think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers?" Ortiz said to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s—- happens. You need to have to the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.”
Yes, Devers handled parts of the drama with the front office immaturely. But other teams in MLB don't treat their star players the way Devers was treated. John Henry and Breslow also deserve some blame for their immaturity — they lied to their longest tenured player about his future with the team. Devers' situation has been compared to Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper's position changes around the league, but this comparison is nonsensical. Not only has Devers never matched their defensive capabilities, but their bosses and ownership groups also didn't lie to their faces about their position (at least, as far as we know).
Devers' ego did prevent him from playing first base, but not from moving to designated hitter and immediately becoming the best one in the American League. But egos flared all around throughout the position change drama. Now, Red Sox fans and the remaining players on the roster will be the ones paying for it.