The Boston Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, requested that Rafael Devers play first base after Triston Casas’ injury. His reaction has led to plenty of trade speculation.
Devers did not take kindly to Breslow’s request and even noted that Breslow should hit the market to find Casas’ replacement instead of asking him to change positions again. According to the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr Devers, teammates were not too pleased with his comments.
Devers’ causing problems in the clubhouse has led to speculation about potentially trading him. However, Craig Breslow has made a shocking decision not to speak to the media on the matter, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
“Breslow, who declined a request for comment, surely would object to any suggestion he wants to purge Devers, as would (John) Henry and CEO Sam Kennedy,” wrote Rosenthal. “After Devers publicly revealed Breslow’s request for him to play first, that power trio embarked upon the Sox’s most dramatic journey since Doug Mirabelli’s police escort to Fenway Park in 2006, hastily flying to Kansas City on Friday to demonstrate its grave concern.”
The Red Sox brass met with Devers, but there have been no changes to his position, and there also have been no reports of a trade request. Devers is one of the best players in the league and is slashing .319/.429/.558 since the calendar flipped to April.
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Breslow’s silence in the media is likely to avoid any more public tension between Devers and the front office. However, by staying silent, he is also throwing away the opportunity to control the narrative behind the Red Sox’s treatment of players. Rosenthal noted how all of this could have been avoided had the Red Sox been straight with Devers from the beginning, but Breslow’s refusal to comment strips him of the ability to tell the world whether they had had conversations in the offseason about him potentially having to be the designated hitter or play first base.
“But the entire episode smacks of the tendency of some modern front offices to view players as robotic chess pieces capable of moving around the field according to management’s whims,” wrote Rosenthal. “And it was all so avoidable, if the Red Sox had just been upfront with Devers from the start.
“Devers, remember, criticized Red Sox management before the 2024 season for failing to upgrade the roster. So, heading into the 2024-25 offseason, Breslow and Cora could have sat him down and said: ‘Raffy, we heard you. We’re going after some players. One of them could be a third baseman. And if we get, say, Bregman or Nolan Arenado, we’re going to need you to play either first base or DH.'”
Whether he talks to the media or not, rumors about Devers getting traded have started to swirl. Especially considering this is not the first time he has expressed displeasure with the front office.
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