After an offseason so productive that The Athletic gave the Red Sox a solid grade of “A,” Boston’s spring training got off to a rocky start with an instant controversy that placed the team’s premier player right at the heart of it. After the Red Sox signed former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million free agent contract at the outset of camp, incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers declared that he would refuse to change positions to let Bregman play there.
Devers’ stance carries weight with the Red Sox, given that he is entering the second year of a 10-season, $313.5 million contract and has been firmly in command of the Boston hot corner since his MLB debut as a 20-year-old in 2017. In fact, of the 955 games in which Devers has fielded a position, only three times has he played any position other than third.
In fact, Devers has been in the Red Sox lineup as a designated hitter in just 21 games â which is significant since the Red Sox were, and may still be, considering turning Devers into a full-time DH and playing Bregman at his natural third base position.
Devers Drama Could Dampen Red Sox 2025 Optimism
The drama, at least on the surface, appears to cast a dark cloud over what is otherwise an optimistic and energized start to the Red Sox 2025 spring training. But on Tuesday, Devers, Bregman and manager Alex Cora all spoke out, and they offered assurances that the apparent conflict has been blown out of proportion by fans and the media.
In fact, according to a report by the Red Sox television network NESN, Bregman has been working with Devers on his third base fielding skills.
“Actually, Alex is working with Raffy [i.e. Devers] at third base,” Cora stated. “The first thing he did was tell him one pointer about glove presentation and all that, and Raffy got it right away.â
Bregman himself also brushed off the notion that the third-base competition is causing any tension in the Red Sox clubhouse. Bregman has previously said that he was willing to make a switch to second base.
âI feel like this has been talked about way more in the media than it has at all in our clubhouse,” Bregman said, as quoted by NESN. “We havenât really talked about it. Weâve been keeping our heads down getting to work. Like I said, Iâll play anywhere. I truly mean it. Whatever AC [i.e. Cora], wherever he tells me to play, Iâll be ready.â
Devers Says He is ‘Not Frustrated’ Over Conflict
But what about the player whose comments ignited the firestorm in the first place? Devers, now a 28-year-old, eight-year veteran, appeared ready to move on from the soap opera on Tuesday as well. Though he did not back off from his earlier statements, refusing to surrender the third-base position, Devers said that he was “not frustrated” over the situation, according to a MassLive report by Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo.
âI really donât know why this is becoming such a big story,â Devers said, as quoted by Cotillo. âWeâre a team and we communicate with each other. I think the most important thing is for us to have a good chemistry together. Like Iâve always said since Day One, the most important thing for me is that we win. Thatâs where I stand.â
However, the difference in fielding performance between Devers and Bregman is noteworthy. According the Statcast metric known as “Fielding Run Value,” which records “a playerâs measurable defensive performance” as a number where the average MLB “run value” is zero, Bregman was 10 runs better in 2024 than Devers.
While Bregman was worth five runs above average with his third-base defense, according to Statcast, Devers’ number was -5, meaning he cost his team five runs, compared to an average third baseman, with his subpar defense last season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Alex Bregman Reveals How Rafael Devers Drama is Playing Out in Red Sox Clubhouse appeared first on Heavy Sports.