Baseball fans have scrambled to find out where to place blame after the Boston Red Sox's shocking Rafael Devers trade. Most have come to the consensus that there's enough to go around.
But it seems that many of the Red Sox's issues with Devers were rooted in an offseason miscommunication by Craig Breslow — an entirely preventable one, too. It feels like the Devers/Breslow situation could've ended differently in a way that kept Devers in Boston.
Was firing Breslow completely out of the question for the Red Sox? If it was, that would certainly be an interesting choice.
It has to be said that the Red Sox organization may have had other issues with Devers besides his refusal to move positions. He's declined sponsorship opportunities and hasn't been as public a personality as Boston would like. These issues predate Breslow, whom the Red Sox hired in November 2023.
Could the Red Sox have fired Craig Breslow instead of trading Rafael Devers?
But Breslow's miscommunication — or outright lie, as it seems — should've gotten as much press as Devers' refusal to move to first base. Breslow is a former player and knows how defensive some players can get over position changes. Purposely keeping Devers in the dark should've been inexcusable, and Alex Cora or John Henry never should've let it go as long as it did.
The front office's issues with Devers this season were entirely manufactured. If it was upfront about its plans to move Devers to DH or first base and gave him plenty of time to prepare, he could be playing first base for the Red Sox against the Mariners, as he's supposed to be.
Instead, Devers has taken the blame for not being a "team player," when he wasn't given the same courtesy from the men in charge in Boston. Breslow has no prior experience as a CBO, and it shows in many of his decisions this season. Yes, he signed Alex Bregman and traded for Garrett Crochet, but his treatment of Devers, Kristian Campbell's presence on the Opening Day roster and his delayed call-up of the Red Sox's other two top prospects while the big league team was floundering are reasons to question his commitment to winning.
The Red Sox made a 10-year commitment to Devers, a beloved player and the last remaining from the 2018 World Series-winning team. They hired Breslow out of desperation because no one in the baseball world wanted to manage their club (probably because they know things like this happen in the Red Sox organization). Devers and Breslow's relationship may not have even been the real reason behind the trade — the Red Sox will surely try to paint the former as the villain — but Devers being gone is unacceptable.