It's hard out there for Boston Red Sox fans these days. The team is clearly good, with a chance to be great, but there is too much negativity around the clubhouse. It starts with their franchise player, Rafael Devers.
Devers began the offseason as the long-term third baseman of the Red Sox. Then Boston landed Alex Bregman, and Devers was haphazardly moved to DH in spring training — a move he clearly did not endorse nor see coming. Now, a couple months into the long and winding MLB season, the Red Sox want Devers to change positions again. He is not thrilled.
That's where Atlanta Braves fans come into play.
The Red Sox want Devers to replace the injured Triston Casas at first base — a reasonable suggestion, but not one Devers is open to after such a tumultuous transition to DH. Not all that log ago, it was Freddie Freeman asked to change positions in Atlanta. The parallels (and differences) are notable.
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Braves fans know what Red Sox are going through with Rafael Devers... sort of
Back in 2017, as Freddie Freeman was coming off the DL, the Braves moved him to third base to accommodate Adam Hall. It was a drastic positional shift for Freeman, who hadn't manned the hot corner since rookie ball almost a decade earlier.
And yet, he did it freely. He did it to put his team in a better position and keep the lineup as strong as possible. Was Freeman a successful third baseman? No, of course not. He spent 17 games at third that season, then was back to first base, where his defensive metrics were (naturally) much stronger. But he did make the attempt.
Devers is mulling over the same decision in reverse. With Casas hurt, the Red Sox have a glaring hole at first. Without a better altnerative, the Red Sox would like to explore moving Devers — a bad defensive third baseman — to first, a position he has precious little experience at. It would require a drastic shift in approach and a steep learning curve, which naturally makes Devers reticent.
At the end of the day, it's hard to take Devers' side here. While Alex Cora, Craig Breslow and the Red Sox brass absolutely could have handled this situation with more grace, Devers made his bed. He was statistically the worst defensive third baseman in MLB for years. That Boston signed a better option and moved Devers off of third was hardly a shock — at least for everyone except Devers.
Now, Devers does carry a certain reputation and deserve a certain level of deference as Boston's best hitter and a $330 million cornerstone. But, if he wanted to man third base in perpetuity, he needed to field better. Straight up.
That we are at the point where trade rumors are popping up and the relationship feels almost catastrophically strained reflects poorly on Devers. This is not to call him selfish or without good reason for his stance, but c'mon dude. Just give first base a try and see how it goes. At worst, he struggles and the Red Sox move him back to DH. At best, it's a second chance to stick in the field, even if it's at a less premium position.
Braves fans can still think fondly upon the Freeman tenure. He's a fan favorite and a franchise legend. Devers has a chance to earn similar lifelong acclaim in Boston, but he risks souring that relationship before it fully blossoms.