Pedro Martinez Blasts Red Sox's Handling Of Rafael Devers After Trade To Giants

"You're lying" never feels good to hear

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; MLB Hall of Fame player Pedro Martinez before game three of the 2024 MLB World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Pedro Martinez is a special assistant to the Boston Red Sox's front office. But he's no mouthpiece for the organization.

The Red Sox's controversial trade of slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants has the entire baseball world buzzing. Some are blaming Devers for not having a team-first attitude about a request to make a position change. But nearly everyone is blaming the Red Sox for allowing the relationship to sour.

Devers debuted for the Giants on Tuesday night, and Martinez, like most Red Sox fans, struggled to process the sight.

And when it came to assigning blame, Martinez came down much harsher on his former ballclub than he did on the 28-year-old superstar. He even singled out manager Alex Cora, CEO Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

"I was shocked, because if you try to sell to me, knowing Raffy Devers, that Raffy is a bad teammate or he's not a team player, you're lying," Martinez said on TBS. "You're gonna tell me he's a bad influence in the clubhouse? He's not."

"The thing they mishandled from the get-go... this should've been in the hands of baseball people, not front-office people," Martinez said. "Not leaking it to the media. Not having a back-and-forth with the media, and Alex, and Sam Kennedy, and Breslow."

Devers went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI as the designated hitter in the Giants' 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Oracle Park. He also took ground balls at first base before the game, something the Red Sox couldn't get him to do for six weeks.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said the plan is for Devers to play some first base and some DH. The Giants also have ex-Red Sox fan favorite Dominic Smith as an option at first.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox were dominated by the Seattle Mariners to the tune of an 8-0 loss with only two hits on offense. They're now 6-for-58 (.103 AVG) as a team since the Devers trade.

Removing your biggest bat from the lineup has consequences.

More MLB: Red Sox's Rafael Devers Trade Served As Message To Rookies, Per Report