Alex Cora has tried to stick Rafael Devers with the title of "the face" of the Boston Red Sox franchise. The third baseman is reluctant to accept it, along with a few other appellations, like "veteran" or "the guy," for example.
When a club signs someone to a contract like the one Devers inked with the Red Sox before the 2023 season — his 10-year, $313.5 million deal is the largest in franchise history — it often expects leadership from the player, in and out of the clubhouse. Devers' personality has always been reserved, and it's kept him from some of the spotlight the Red Sox wish he'd hold.
After Devers was scratched from his appearance at the Sox's new winter fan festival called Fenway Fest on Jan. 11, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the Red Sox organization internally wishes the third baseman would be more open. Fan interactions and marketing opportunities are common for most faces of a franchise, but Devers is more private and soft-spoken than the front office would like.
Devers has stepped up in leadership situations before, but probably not ones the front office would like to remember. He called the team out for its lack of free agent additions last offseason and said, "everyone knows what [the Red Sox] need" to improve. Cora stood by his statement, and credited him for speaking out and taking a step in the right direction as a potential leader.
The Red Sox can't (and shouldn't) force Devers to be a more public person. It's especially rich for the front office to make such a demand of its players when owner John Henry refuses to take interviews or make public appearances to stay shielded from accountability for the state of his team, which has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. Devers talking to media won't help there.
Luckily for the Red Sox, they have an open book in their clubhouse already. Triston Casas has been in the big leagues for three short years and has emerged as a fan favorite and strong personality. He isn't paid as much as Devers, but many fans see him as a potential future face of the franchise, provided Boston plays its cards right.
If Rafael Devers doesn't want to be the face of the Red Sox franchise, they could turn to Triston Casas
Trade rumors have floated around Casas for much of the winter, despite chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's frequent testaments that the Sox have no intention of shopping him. Statements from other club officials throughout the league have said that the first baseman has been made available to them, though.
But if the Sox are willing to give Casas a chance to prove his playing ability instead of attempting to trade him while his value is at potentially an all-time low, he could become the outward face of the franchise Boston has been looking for. Sure, a lot of fans don't like him because he paints his nails or does yoga, but just as many, if not more, fans like him for the same reasons. Most importantly, neither his painted nails nor his pregame routine impacts how well he can play baseball.
If Casas can post a season similar to his rookie campaign in 2025, he could cement himself as a critical presence with the Red Sox, on and off the field. He's a natural in interviews, open with fans and one of the stars of Boston's upcoming Netflix series — everything the team is asking of Devers.
Devers doesn't need to be a "do it all" guy. Red Sox fans still appreciate him and his contributions to the team, even if he is a private person. His job is to play baseball, not to be a marketable mouthpiece for the front office.