Why Should Rafael Devers Be the One to Move, Again?

It’s a tale as old as time in baseball: star player signs massive contract, team makes promises, circumstances change, front office members change, and suddenly the player is expected to be the one bending over backward to accommodate. The Rafael Devers situation in Boston is just another example of organizational mismanagement disguised as a player character issue.

Let’s be crystal clear about what’s happening here. Rafael Devers, the offensive cornerstone of the Red Sox for years, signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract in January 2023 under then-GM Chaim Bloom. He was a third baseman, had been his entire eight-year major league career. Then the team signed Alex Bregman, a Gold Glove third baseman, and asked Devers to become the designated hitter. After some convincing, he agreed. Now, with Triston Casas suffering a season-ending knee injury, the front office wants Devers to learn first base on the fly. His response was unequivocal.

“They told me that I was going to be playing this position, DH, and now they’re going back on that,” Devers told reporters Thursday. “So I just don’t think they stayed true to their word.”

ALSO READ: After Reluctantly DHing, Rafael Devers Unwilling to Make Move to First Base

He went further, saying bluntly: “I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes.”

Meanwhile, the 21-20 Red Sox are plugging the first base hole with utility men Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro, a solution that speaks volumes about the organization’s planning.

Is It That Easy for Rafael Devers to Move to First Base?

Ken Rosenthal perfectly articulated what most baseball insiders already know: “Everyone takes for granted, fans, media, and sometimes teams—how difficult it is to play first base. Rafael Devers has never played first base as a professional. And to ask him in the middle of the season to do this… It’s not Bryce Harper coming off an injury, training to play first base. It’s not Mookie getting half a spring last year to kinda get himself well situated at shortstop. It’s the middle of the season.”

First base isn’t the defensive wasteland casual fans imagine. It involves complex positioning, footwork around the bag, understanding pickoff moves, handling wayward throws, and myriad other skills that can take significant time to master.

“The other thing is, the Red Sox don’t have a backup first baseman,” Rosenthal continued. “That’s not on Rafael Devers. That’s not his fault. I guess it’s true that teams can’t be protected at every spot, but they’ve got no alternatives here.”

This is organizational malpractice masquerading as a leadership test for Devers. The Red Sox created this problem through poor roster construction and now want their star to bail them out, potentially at the expense of his offensive production, which is literally what they’re paying him for.

“To me, Devers is in something of a no-win here,” Rosenthal explained. “If he plays the position, well, he might embarrass himself for a little bit defensively, he might be compromised offensively. And if he doesn’t play the position, which seems to be his position right now, then he looks selfish.”

ALSO READ: Triston Casas Suffers ‘Significant Knee Injury’: How Will Red Sox Fill First Base?

This situation wasn’t birthed from Devers’ stubbornness; it emerged from “the Red Sox’s lack of communication,” as Rosenthal correctly identified. Front offices always protect themselves first. Fans can trumpet the “team-first” narrative all they want, but in a brutal business where players are treated as assets, it’s entirely reasonable for Devers to protect himself and his value.

Rafael Devers shouldn’t be the one moving again. He’s already moved once this season.