It seemed like such an easy fix.
Alex Bregman, the Gold Glove third baseman, would slide into his natural position at third base. Meanwhile, Rafael Devers, the best hitter on the Red Sox who most assumed was only interested in hitting, would become the designated hitter.
After all, it’s what’s best for the team, and it’s what’s best for the players involved, right?
Guess not…
In one week’s time, we’ve gone from feeling good about the Red Sox with the addition of Bregman to feeling uneasy. Instead, Devers is unwilling to play ball with his team’s requested move from third to DH.
“Third base is my position. It’s what I play,” a defiant Devers told reporters via interpreter. “We had a conversation. I made it clear on what my desires were. Whatever happens from here, I don't know.”
Then, asked if he would be willing to DH, Devers suddenly didn’t even need his interpreter. “No,” he remarked.
It’s a bit of a shocking development, no doubt, and yet… I don’t blame him one bit.
For some reason, Craig Breslow and the Red Sox went out of their way this offseason to commit to Devers at third. The team did its best to put the murmurs to rest that Devers would be better off at DH, which remains inarguable.
Yes, I’ve maintained that Devers can still be a serviceable third baseman, and I believe that. But there’s no question that having a Gold Glove third baseman who’s now officially on your roster play the position is what’s best for business.
But now, Bregman comes in and the team is suddenly changing course and asking Devers to be the DH after publicly backing him as their franchise third baseman? It’s a bad look, and I’m not surprised Devers is irked. I would be, too.
Is anybody really surprised that the Sox brought in Bregman and didn’t do what a well-run organization would: talk to your freaking All-Star third baseman and let him know what the plan was for the new All-Star that plays his same position?
It seems that the team signed Bregman with a “we’ll figure it all out” mentality — which has been backed up by their public comments — instead of having a plan in place and communicating it right from the get go.
Typical Red Sox MO…
Now, we have a borderline controversy on our hands — and that’s the last thing this team needs. Tensions mounting in the clubhouse, especially between your former team leader and the player who is expected to take his place, not only possibly at his position, but as the defacto team leader, has the potential to derail a season. And it’s only February 18th…
But this is where Alex Cora butters his bread and earns his money, at least it should be. It’s ultimately on the manager to manage the personalities. Cora, in response to Devers’ displeasure, did his best to coddle his superstar.
“(Devers) has a lot of pride. We know that,” Cora told reporters. “He feels like he's a third baseman. He's going to work out as a third baseman and then we'll make decisions accordingly.”
Cora noted that the decision made will “ultimately make sure we have the best team possible out there.” He added, “I think here it's not about Bregman or Devers or Cora. It's about the Red Sox.”
That’s all well and good and the right ideal approach, but it doesn’t factor in the realities of humanity — and I’m sure Cora knows that, and he’s just saying what he has to say.
A reality of sports is that, often times, what’s best for a team can often be making your best players happy. Plain and simple, this Red Sox team cannot accomplish their goals of making the postseason and potentially contending without an engaged Rafael Devers.
The “easy” fix is to leave Devers at third, play Bregman at second to start the year and let the cards play out how they do. Is that what’s “best” for the team? Maybe, maybe not… yes and no.
We’ll see how it all plays out…
Masa… in the outfield?
Not exactly an angel in the outfield…
But apparently, the Red Sox are considering playing Masataka Yoshida in the outfield again this season. Which, frankly, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
“Last year he was a DH, this year we need him to play defense. It’s a different season,” Cora told reporters on Tuesday.
Um… excuse me, what?
Yoshida is a bad defender, no question about it. Now the Sox want to trot him back out there when they’re already got Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu… and possibly Roman Anthony, too?
This is a classic case of too many cooks in the kitchen, and it’s not really Cora’s fault. This is a result of having a player you don’t really have a good spot for and needing to plug him somewhere.
How about on the bench, Alex? Yoshida’s best value at this point might just be as a spot hitter — he’s still a solid contact hitter, if not the power hitter everyone was hoping he would be. You could stomach Yoshdia coming up in a key spot in the seventh and playing the outfield if he had to for a couple of innings.
Or, you know, you could just… trade or release him.
Ultimately, this ties into the Devers-Bregman drama. If Raffy is unwilling to DH, then that means you need someone to be the DH. You’re not going to waste Bregman and his plus defense as a hitter only, at least not for the majority of the season.
At this point, Yoshida is causing more trouble than he’s probably worth. It’s probably just best to cut ties and move on…
Adam’s back
As I previously surmised, the Red Sox did make another move to supplement their bullpen.
That move? Also as expected, not that much of a needle mover…
Boston is reportedly bringing back right-hander Adam Ottavino on a minor league contract, reuniting with the now 39-year-old who pitched for the Sox during the 2021 season.
That ’21 season didn’t exactly go very well for Ottavino, who posted a 7-3 record with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 69 appearances. Boston moved on the very next season, and Ottavino went on to spend the next three with the Mets.
Ottavino had a nice bounce-back year in 2022, posting a 2.06 ERA in 66 appearances, and he was decent in ’23 with a 3.21 ERA in 66 games. But last season saw him take a step back, putting up a 4.34 ERA in 60 games.
This move is a flyer, through and through. I have no problem with that. Ottavino has shown he can pitch effectively in the majors, and having him as a depth piece is fine. It’s the role his recent performance has earned him. I wouldn’t expect to see him contribute on a significant level in the bigs this season…