When reporters asked Boston Red Sox infielder Rafael Devers if he'd be willing to switch positions so Alex Bregman could play third base, many fans were shocked when he said plainly, "No."
They shouldn't have been, though. The Red Sox courted third basemen all offseason to resolve their deficiency of righty bats, yet assured media and fans all the while that Devers would be their third baseman on Opening Day.
Boston only inquired with Devers about a position change after it signed his potential replacement. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora didn't address the possibility of moving Devers with him until Friday, Feb. 14.
Devers has appeared in a different position just four times in his eight-year Red Sox career, and for only a few innings at a time. When the 28-year-old signed his 10-year extension two offseasons ago, he was promised at least a few years at the hot corner by previous chief baseball officer, Chaim Bloom. It doesn't sound like Cora thinks that matters — the manager said, "Chaim is in St. Louis now" when reporters brought up the promise.
Rafael Devers has a right to be upset about Red Sox trying to move him from third base
LIVE: Raffy speaks with the media. https://t.co/T6uR0VPoYg
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 17, 2025
As obvious as a position switch looks from the outside, Devers likely feels that the rug is being pulled from under him. The Red Sox hadn't signed a marquee free agent in years, but added a third baseman after the best season of his career in the infield. Devers posted a career-best 12 errors in the infield in 2024, which is still quite a few too many, but he's never clocked fewer than 14 before. He battled shoulder injuries and slugged 28 homers in the process. He did it all without a decent middle infielder next to him — after Trevor Story's shoulder surgery, the Red Sox only had inexperienced shortstops on the roster, and Devers still clocked his best season yet.
Bregman said he would be willing to switch positions for a new team and his former coach, Cora, mentioned that he always envisioned the infielder as a second baseman. Bregman may be especially willing to play second base for Boston, as his favorite player, Dustin Pedroia, did for many years.
Moving Devers also wouldn't completely absolve the team from defensive liability. The Red Sox still don't have an everyday second baseman if they place Bregman at third. Their best options, Vaughn Grissom and Kristian Campbell, have never played consistently, or at all, at the big league level. Pushing Devers into the DH slot also creates complications for Masataka Yoshida, who's struggled defensively in the outfield.
After his eight years at third base without changes or reinforcements, Devers has earned the right to be upset about his position potentially being changed at the last minute. There are still weeks of spring training ahead and a lot of work to do before Boston's Opening Day lineup is set, and it is not up to Devers to decide where he'll play. But the people who do get to decide went about it the wrong way by taking so long to bring up the potential switch and by addressing it so publicly.