The Boston Red Sox were the talk of the baseball world when they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The move has led to plenty of conversation about Devers and the Red Sox organization.
Neither side is free of fault. The Red Sox needed to communicate to Devers better what their plans were when they went and signed Alex Bregman. Craig Breslow admitted that the entire ordeal will serve as a teaching point in the future. However, as the franchise player, many think Devers should have been willing to do whatever was needed for the team.
When Triston Casas went down with a season-ending knee injury, Breslow reportedly approached Devers about playing first base. Devers was upset by the request and went on a rant in the media, after the team had already made him change positions once to accommodate Bregman. David Ortiz told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal earlier this week that he felt that Devers should have just stepped up and played first base.
“I think it would be easier, if they pay you that kind of money, to go, ‘(Expletive) it, let’s do it.’ But players’ egos play a big role sometimes,” Ortiz told The Athletic. “I’ve seen it with so many players. Sammy Sosa. (Alex Rodriguez), my friend. Manny Ramirez, you name it. And guess what? At the end of the day … you know you did wrong. Once you mature, you understand.”
“That’s a message for all young players who think they turn out to be bigger than the game,” Ortiz told The Athletic. “I’m not saying that Devers was like that. He’s humble. He’s a good kid. But sometimes when you’re young and immature, you (don’t realize that).”
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Now, Ortiz is seemingly taking shots at Devers on his personal Instagram account. He posted a story of him standing with a number 34 display at Fenway Park.
“The thing is that to have some like this at boston you have to just not be a hitter you have to be the full package a all the way around player… go sox,” Ortiz captioned.
This is now the second time Ortiz has talked about how he was willing to be more than just a hitter for the Red Sox. He did whatever the team needed him to do. He even mentioned that fact to Rosenthal and how he overcame some tough times in his relationship with the organization, and is still loved in Boston. Devers, despite his contributions, will never be able to have the connection to the Red Sox fanbase that Ortiz now has, largely in part to how things ended.
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