Despite not needing additional infielders, the Boston Red Sox have been linked to plenty of candidates through the free agent and trade market.
Alex Bregman, Willy Adames and Nolan Arenado are among the infielders linked to Boston in one way or another. Most of the projected plans to bring any of them to the Sox involve moving Rafael Devers from third to first base.
The Red Sox have previously not appeared keen on such a plan. The organization has said it sees current first baseman Triston Casas as a guy with 40-homer potential, and players with that kind of power tend to thrive at Fenway Park and in Red Sox Nation. Devers has also said he does not intend to move off third base.
However, a recent report from Sean McAdam of MassLive suggests the Red Sox may be taking the idea of moving Devers more seriously than most previously thought. He believes Boston's chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has "" the likelihood of a position change to first base or designated hitter.
The Red Sox may be hiding the true likelihood of a potential position change for Rafael Devers
The Red Sox are desperate for more righties in their batting order after their mostly left-handed lineup struggled against lefty pitching last season. Teoscar Hernández is one rumored righty target the Sox could sign without tampering with the infield alignment, but recent rumors suggest he's destined for the Dodgers. The infield market could be Boston's best path to increasing its right-handedness if it's dissatisfied with the righties it already has, like Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom and Kristian Campbell.
But moving Devers comes with risks. His $313.5 million deal is quite pricey to become a DH so early in the 10-year timeframe — plenty of fans have complained about Masataka Yoshida's $90 million salary going to a DH, which is tiny compared to Devers' payday. Devers' defense is historically unreliable, and moving him anywhere he isn't used to playing could hurt Boston's infield even more.
A potential move to first base also throws Casas' future with the Red Sox into question. Casas' personality and injury history make him a polarizing figure within Red Sox Nation at the moment, but he still has plenty of potential and a dedicated fanbase.
The Red Sox have been cryptic about whether or not Devers will be on the move soon, so fans will have to wait and see what the offseason brings. It sounds like Devers is destined for a position switch at some point, but only time will tell if it comes this year or a few seasons down the line.