The fractured relationship between Rafael Devers and the Red Sox broke for good Sunday night, with Boston shipping the star slugger to the San Francisco Giants in a shocking trade.
When did the split begin? Most would point to the team’s signing of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman just before the start of spring training in February. That move prompted Devers to defiantly insist that he would not move from third base to designated hitter, which, as it turns out, is exactly what the Red Sox had planned for him.
While Devers did eventually, begrudgingly move to DH, the relationship was clearly never repaired. He fought back again when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury and Sox brass asked him to play first base. Devers never even took pregame grounders at first, never mind actually play there in a game.
Could things have gone differently if the Red Sox had been more transparent with Devers about their plans involving Bregman? That has been an idea floated by fans and media alike. Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and manager Alex Cora have all acknowledged that there are things they could have done differently, without really citing specific examples.
Appearing on WEEI Afternoons on Tuesday, Cora defended the way he and the team handled the Devers-Bregman dynamic, though. Listen to the full interview above.
“The Alex [Bregman] situation happened right at the end [of the offseason],” Cora said. “We communicated when we had to, when we were very close. And then after that, you saw what happened. I mean, you always try to think ahead and, ‘OK, if this happens again, how can we handle it better?’ But at the same time, it wasn't a given that Alex Bregman was coming here. There were a lot of rumors, you know? And I got to spring training very early to talk to Raffy about what was going on and what might happen, and obviously it looks like that communication wasn't good enough for his camp.”
It’s clear that Cora and the Red Sox didn’t feel the need to tell Devers they might sign Bregman while they were pursuing him. They believed they only needed to talk to him once it was done, or very close to done.
Based on his comments Tuesday afternoon, Cora still doesn’t seem to think they made a mistake on that front. Fans might feel differently now that they see how quickly the snowball rolled downhill from there.