Moving Rafael Devers off third base could unlock Red Sox offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Could Rafael Devers come out of third base?
Craig Breslow could have already dismissed the question, but he has answered it carefully and consistently all fall.
“We haven’t had those conversations,” Breslow said in September. “Those conversations, if they occurred, would definitely happen internally before I discuss them here.”
It’s not exactly a denial, and Breslow has since repeated some version of that answer. Maybe now we know why. It sure seems like an argument between player and team is brewing, which could have major implications for the 2025 season.
Both Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Sean McAdam of MassLive We recently reported that the Red Sox are open to moving Devers, presumably across the diamond to first base, but also possibly to designated hitter. Despite having decent play areas, Devers has generally provided poor defense throughout his career.
As the Red Sox evaluate how to get over .500 for the first time since 2021, glove work in the infield is clearly a priority, and Devers has contributed to brutal metrics.
He just led American League third basemen in errors for a record seventh consecutive season, and is the active leader in that ignominious measure with 141. His advanced statistics are no better, with negative run values every year except one. outlier in 2019. Qualified six races. worse than average just last year.
Really the only justification for leaving Devers at third at this point is not wanting to offend the highest-paid player on the team. Anyone else with his history of defensive mediocrity would have already been benched or moved elsewhere, but most players with his defensive resume don’t make $30 million a year.
If that’s going to happen now, the Red Sox have options.
they have been linked to free agent third baseman Alex Bregmanwho just won his first Gold Glove with the Astros, and is also set to move to second base. According to McAdam, they could consider St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove winner and one of the best defenders of this generation. He would have to be acquired in a trade, because his nine-year, $275 million contract runs through 2027. It’s also worth noting that his production has dropped considerably over the past two seasons, but he would still be a huge defensive upgrade. in Devers, and his right-handed power would balance the lineup.
A third option is free agent shortstop Willy Adameswho has expressed his willingness to move to third position.
If Devers moves, the dominoes will start to fall. He could take on first base duties and make young slugger Triston Casas available in a trade. However, it’s understandable that Breslow seems reluctant to trade Casas, as the youngster boasts 40-homer power and has his prime ahead of him. That means Devers or Casas could move to designated hitter and make starter Masataka Yoshida expendable, even though he has three years and more than $50 million left on his contract.
Considering how little the Red Sox have received for Yoshida (1.4 WAR each season and an average of 12 home runs and 65 RBIs per year) perhaps they could get back to the business of using their financial resources to reduce their losses. on overpaid and underperforming players.
Put another way, Yoshida shouldn’t be the impediment to a Devers move, and his presence definitely shouldn’t contribute to a House swap.
However, before this discussion can move beyond the realm of the hypothetical, the Red Sox will need to talk to Devers about a move. And reading the tea leaves, it certainly seems like that conversation is coming.