The tension around Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers has reached the point that team owner John Henry joined the team on the road to air things out, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
Along with team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, Henry reportedly made an unplanned trip to Kansas City for a meeting with the disgruntled star. The meeting consisted of only Devers, Henry and Cora, and was later described as a step in the right direction.
From MassLive:
“I thought it was productive,“ Cora said. ”Obviously, having everybody here and in the same place, it means a lot, not only for us on the ground but for the players and to Raffy, too. I thought it was good.
Breslow, whom Devers specifically criticized one day earlier by saying he didn’t understand his decision-making, was not part of the meeting. However, he did tell reporters he was encouraged by the discussion:
“It’s probably wise for some of these matters to stay between John and Raffy but my understanding is that it was productive dialogue,” Breslow said. “There was honest exchange by both sides. I think we’re gonna walk out of this in a much better place.”
The conflict between Devers and the Red Sox has been brewing since the team signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract. That became an issue for Devers because a) Bregman also plays his nominal position of third base; and b) Bregman plays the position better, winning the Gold Glove last year.
Bregman’s deal is a short-term one — he is likely to opt out of the deal this winter if he continues his .318/.392/.596 start — but it left Devers in an unhappy position. The 28-year-old, who is in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, made very clear in spring training he wasn’t interested in giving up third base, then begrudgingly became the team’s full-time designated hitter.
Things came to a head earlier this week due to a season-ending injury for Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas. Devers, who has never been known to be a good defender, should have been a natural choice to take over at first base given that many already expected to make the transition to the less-demanding position, but a meeting in which the front office broached the possibility led to Devers publicly airing out his grievances.
This just isn’t what you want to be hearing from a player under contract for eight more seasons after 2025:
“I don’t think they stay true to their word. They told me I was going to be playing this position, DH. And now they are going back on that. So yeah, I don’t think they stay true to their word.”
Those comments apparently forced Henry’s hand, and we’ll see how the resulting action played out. Devers was once again the DH in Boston’s lineup on Friday, while utility men Abraham Toro and Romy González have continued to cover first base.
