After having signed Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox initially refused to engage with him at the second goal, And instead left the door open so that Bregman plays his third usual base. This would then move the Rafael devers franchise icon to DH, or at least the first base. Not so fast. Devers on Monday said that he had refused a move to DH and insisted that he would remain in the warm corner.
“I told them no. I am a third basic player,” Devers said when he was asked to move to DH. “… I think we have a team hell and I am grateful for the movements they have made. The third base is my position. I don’t know what their plans are. I have clearly indicated my desires and what is happening we will see. “
“He has a lot of pride. We know it,” added the manager Alex Cora later (via Masslive.com). “He has the impression that he is the third basic player. He will work as a third goal player. And we are going to make decisions accordingly. Here, it is not Bregman or Cora .
Devers, 28, has played his entire career at the third basis with the exception of a handful of emergency rounds to the second goal and the stop. He directed the League in errors to the third goal every year since 2018, and the advanced figures also note it badly. Compared to Bregman at the third goal, this is not a competition:
|
2022-24 Bregman at 3b |
+7 |
+11 |
|
2022-24 undresses at 3b |
-24 |
-17 |
Bregman has only played 32 career rounds with the second goal and none since 2018. He is however an intelligent and instinctive defender, and a good athlete, suggesting that he will be able to make a successful change towards Keystone. Undoubtedly, the best defensive alignment of Boston has a bregman in the third and permanent in DH, but Devers has dropped its foot.
Devers staying in the third also complicates things for Kristian Campbell, One of the best prospects in Boston and one of the best of minors. He is close to MLB ready and mainly a second basic player, where he is now blocked by Bregman. The Red Soxs may perhaps use Bregman at the Cop, or give Campbell for more time on the short and central ground, positions to which he tolerated in minors.
There is also the question of Masataka Yoshida, dh out of Boston. The 31 -year -old played a whole round in the outdoor field last season. It is a full -time and productive DH, although not great. He is a striker .285 / .343 / .433 with 25 circuits in two MLB seasons. The Red Sox owes Yoshida 18 million dollars a year of 2025-27, so it is not going.
Devers is entering the second season of the franchise record at 10 years and $ 313.5 million in contract he signed in January 2023. Bregman can withdraw from his contract after 2025 (and 2026), so that the dynamics From the third Bregman / Devers base may not last long, but at some point, things will change. Devers will not remain at the third basis the rest of his career. For the moment, he doesn’t want to move.
The Red Sox went 81-81 last season. They are one of the most improved teams in baseball after adding Bregman, Walker Buehler and Garrett Crochet this off -season, and should be in the mixture for their first place in the playoffs since 2021 this year.
