Xander Bogaerts opens up about Rafael Devers situation
LOS ANGELES - Xander Bogaerts had just gotten off the field Sunday, getting ready to board the team plane from Phoenix to Los Angeles when Bob Nightengale of USA Today approached him and flashed the shortstop his phone.
What he saw was tough to believe: His good friend Rafael Devers had been traded to San Francisco.
"He shows me on his phone: 'Rafael Devers traded.' I was like, 'Nah.' … Then I hit Devers up and he got back at me right away," Bogaerts told WEEI.com prior to his team's game at Dodger Stadium Thursday. "The moment he told me is when I knew it was for real. I had texted him, “Is this true?” and he replied before everybody started (reporting it) … We didn’t know if it was true or not."
Bogaerts was fully aware of the dysfunction between Devers and the Red Sox, but to think it would lead to a trade of his former teammate seemed incomprehensible.
"We talk quite often," the Padres' infielder explained. "We played alongside each other for so long. We hung out with each other at the field, away from the field, you name it. We always had a special relationship, not only on the field. We always maintained contact.
"I knew a little bit, not that I saw any of this coming."
While Bogaerts monitored the situation from across the country, his name was often mentioned in debates and discussion regarding Devers' existence throughout the 2025 season. At top of mind for many was the hypothetical of what might have been different if the former Red Sox shortstop was still available to help mentor Devers from a few lockers away.
"Listen, man, he’s a grown man," Bogaerts explained. "I saw Pedro (Martinez). I saw David (Ortiz). Those are legends of the game, legends of the Red Sox. Those guys mean so much to me and so much to the organization. I saw their input and take on it. I don’t know what I would have done, but he’s a grown man. If he has some tough questions, we talked about."
They were conversations that kicked up once the Red Sox identified Devers as a former third baseman and current designated hitter. From across the country, Bogaerts rode the wave with his friend, having experienced something similar when the Padres abruptly asked him to move from shortstop to second base at the outset of 2024 spring training.
"The early parts of it," Bogaerts said, referencing when the majority of his communication with Devers game. "Once the season he has his to deal with, I have mine to deal with. He was going through a tough situation. My second year here I moved to second and I ended up doing it. This was a little different because (Triston) Casas got hurt."
So, how much could Devers draw from Bogaerts' uncomfortable position change before last season? Some, but not all.
"Similar, but I stayed on the field, though," Bogaerts said. "He went from going on the field to not being on the field at all, which was something I had never done. I stayed on the field. That’s a whole different thing."
The analysis and advice from Bogaerts has never been as easy as just a friend helping a friend. He still has a solid relationship with many with the Red Sox, including the manager, Alex Cora.
That reality was evident in the occasional hesitation in answers from Bogaerts, whose interviews are usually free-flowing and built off of emotion. This was different.
All the way up until Bogaerts got those texts from Devers confirming his exit from Boston, it was awkward and uncomfortable ... even from three time zones away.
"I know them because I have been around them for a long time," said Bogaerts of all the characters involved in the Devers drama. "I was surprised how it all unfolded. Life continues and baseball continues and they made the decision they wanted to make. He’s over there and they are over there and hopefully they’re both happy. But it was tough to see for sure."