It sure sounds like Red Sox players are taking Rafael Devers' side over Alex Bregman

After months of waiting, the Boston Red Sox finally lived up to their word and made a big-money signing, inking Alex Bregman on a massive three-year deal. The move was one that Red Sox fans had been waiting for and, on paper at least, made perfect sense: Bregman is a perfect fit for Fenway Park, gives the Red Sox lineup some much-needed balance, and even offers elite infield defense — an area where Boston has struggled in recent years.

It was certain from the moment Boston signed Bregman that he'd hit somewhere in the middle of the team's lineup. The only question that remained was exactly where he'd play. There were two clear options.

First, the Red Sox could use Bregman at second base, a position where the team lacks an established starter. That seemed like the most seamless fit on paper, but also would seemingly impact the odds of whether top prospect Kristian Campbell would make the team's Opening Day roster. The other solution is to use Bregman at third base, moving face of the franchise Rafael Devers to DH and all but benching (or trading) Masataka Yoshida.

Alex Cora, knowing he has flexibility on his hands, revealed that Bregman would play both second and third base in spring training. Devers did not like hearing that he might be moved off of third base, and even went as far as to say he would not move positions to accommodate Bregman taking his spot at the hot corner.

Suddenly, the Red Sox had a massive dilemma on their hands. The team might be better off with Bregman at third base, but Devers does not want to move positions. And the situation only got stickier on Tuesdsay, when at least one of Devers' teammates, Triston Casas, took Devers' side in the debate.

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Triston Casas takes Rafael Devers' side in Red Sox third-base debate

It isn't surprising to see Casas, a player who has only played in Boston, take the side of Devers, a player who has been in Beantown for eight seasons and is under contract for another nine.

In a way, Casas is right. Devers' bat makes him one of the best, if not the best, third baseman in the game. The 28-year-old is a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger winner, and one of the most feared hitters in the American League.

With that being said, though, the Red Sox are not proposing to take him out of the lineup; Devers would still play every day, he would just do it primarily at DH. And the defensive upgrade the Red Sox would receive going from Devers to Bregman at third base cannot be overstated: Devers was worth -6 OAA this past season, according to Baseball Savant, placing him in the eighth percentile. He has consistently been a negative defender by that metric throughout his career, placing in the negatives in every season save for 2019.

Bregman, on the other hand, was worth 6 OAA in 2024, placing him in the 91st percentile. This was not out of the ordinary for Bregman, who has consistently been an above-average defender at the hot corner. The 30-year-old even won a Gold Glove award at the position this past season.

All sides make some sort of sense here. Casas backing up his long-time teammate makes sense, Devers wanting to play the position he always has makes sense, and the Red Sox flirting with keeping a Gold Glove winner at the position in which he won a Gold Glove in the place of a subpar defender also makes sense. The problem is that all three of those things, while true in a vacuum, are coming to a head when actual personalities and egos get involved.

The Red Sox have a lot to figure out. The team might be best-positioned to start Bregman at third base, especially if Campbell impresses in spring training, but is that really worth alienating at least two of the most important players in the franchise? That's a question only Cora and Craig Breslow can really answer.