Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Airs Out Rafael Devers' 'Communication Problems'

One former Red Sox DH is not taking the side of the other

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Fox Sports broadcaster David Ortiz speaks on field after game two between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The finality of the Boston Red Sox trading away Rafael Devers is starting to set in.

The trade to the San Francisco Giants went down late on Sunday afternoon, and Monday was an avalanche of reactions, ranging from disbelief to heartbreak to anger. Some blamed Devers, but nearly everyone blamed the Red Sox for the relationship souring.

As the 28-year-old slugger gets ready to play his first game for the Giants, though, a Red Sox franchise icon has some critiques of how he handled the situation in Boston.

David Ortiz, a former 10-time Red Sox All-Star and now a special assistant in the Boston front office, described Devers' communication skills as lacking amid numerous reports that the relationship broke down over the way the front office handled his position change.

"You can't imagine how many times I wrote to Devers trying to give him advice, but unfortunately, he has communication problems," Ortiz said, per Dominican baseball insider Héctor Gómez. "He almost never returned my messages, but I don't blame him. He's a good guy, but he definitely needs to improve his communication. He should find an advisor to help him with that."

Gómez wasn't the only person Ortiz spoke to in the wake of the Devers trade. He was everywhere, giving answers in both English and Spanish all day while the Red Sox brass waited until late in the evening to address the trade.

“I played for the Red Sox a long time,” Ortiz said, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “You think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers? I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s— happens. You need to have the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.”

Ultimately, Devers is a great baseball player, and trading him over off-field conflict represents dysfunction on the part of the organization. But Ortiz's comments also show that Devers isn't left without blame.

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