'Melodramatic' Rafael Devers Blasted For Role In Red Sox Drama By MLB Insider

This story isn't going away anytime soon...

May 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) hits a home run against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox truly have a mess to clean up with superstar Rafael Devers now.

Devers spoke to the media after the team's win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday and let loose on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for asking him to make the move from designated hitter to first base. He said he felt Breslow should know as a former player that changing positions wasn't this easy, and told the front office to "hit the market" and find a replacement.

Of course, the only reason Breslow was asking Devers to make the move is because the team's starting first baseman, Triston Casas, suffered a season-ending tear to his left patellar tendon last Friday. The Red Sox don't have a suitable backup in-house, and it appears the position will remain a question mark as long as Devers is refusing to play it.

On Friday, MassLive's Sean McAdam took Devers to task over his complaints, calling him "disingenuous" and "bitter," among other unsavory adjectives.

"As the player who is both the longest-tenured and owner of the largest contract in team history, Devers is behaving like a seasonal, short-term employee," McAdam wrote.

"The fact is, players willingly move positions all the time. Most don’t respond incredulously, as Devers did... Moreover, his assertion “They can’t expect me to play every position out there,” is a little melodramatic, as is his hypothetical speculation that they’ll soon ask him to play the outfield."

Despite the criticism, McAdam also pointed out that the situation likely could have been avoided with a more tactful approach to the offseason from Breslow, and perhaps manager Alex Cora:

"Devers clearly feels disrespected by the organization, but I suspect his primary beef hasn’t been publicly disclosed: Over the winter, as the Red Sox pursued a trade for Nolan Arenado and contemplated signing free agent Alex Bregman, the Red Sox repeatedly assured Devers that such talk was merely media speculation."

Devers, Breslow, and Cora are far from seeing eye to eye right now. But until they can all get on the same page, there's going to be a dark cloud hanging over the entire team, which might linger even after the cameras turn off.

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