Rafael Devers has been the Boston Red Sox’ starting third baseman since he broke into the majors in 2017, but there have been questions about whether that will remain his full-time position for years. Fielding has never been Devers’ strong suit, and he has now led American League third baseman in errors for seven straight seasons.
The conversation has flared up again this offseason with the Red Sox linked to natural third basemen like Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado. Jon Heyman wrote in the New York Post on Wednesday night that “the Red Sox seem intent on moving longtime star 3B Rafael Devers to first base.”
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow addressed that report Thursday on WEEI’s Jones and Keefe. Listen to the full interview above.
“Rafael Devers is our third baseman, and we're really excited about that,” Breslow said. “I think last year, we saw some improvement in terms of the way he was able to move, particularly to his left, which had not been as comfortable for him as to his right. And then toward the middle of the season, after there was a stretch where he almost singlehandedly carried the team for a number of weeks, he had a knee injury, two shoulder injuries.
“I think that affected him probably more than he was willing to let on, because he wanted to play every day, wanted to do whatever it is that he could to help our team win. So, he's working hard right now. Obviously, we made some changes to our coaching staff, and feel like we're going to get the best out of him.”
Speaking of third basemen, and Bregman in particular, Jones and Keefe also asked Breslow about a report from MassLive’s Sean McAdam that there is an “internal disagreement over Bregman,” with Alex Cora and Sam Kennedy being fans of the player while Breslow and others in baseball operations may not be as enamored.
“I don't think it makes any sense at all to talk about any individual players or free agent pursuits,” Breslow said. “I'm obviously aware of what was written. It came as a surprise, and I would say that Alex [Cora] and baseball operations have incredibly open, honest conversations around a whole host of things. There's nothing here. We'll continue to make the best decisions that we can collectively to put the best team on the field, and that's really it.”
If the Red Sox did sign Bregman, they could potentially move him to second base and keep Devers at third. Moving Devers to first base would really only be an option if the Red Sox traded Triston Casas, which could still be on the table if Breslow targets another starting pitcher via trade even after acquiring Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.