Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) rounds third base en route to scoring during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze
The Rafael Devers saga might be the most interesting story in baseball right now.
Devers made clear during Spring Training that he was upset that the Boston Red Sox were moving him off of third base after signing Alex Bregman. It was the right baseball move considering Bregman won a Gold Glove Award last season and Devers has minus-62 career defensive runs saved at third base. The move also allowed the Red Sox to call up star rookie Kristian Campbell to play second base. Had Devers remained at third, Bregman likely would have had to play second.
Still, there was a human element that the Red Sox obviously did not do a good job of handling.
The story died down for a little while with Devers ultimately accepting being a DH, but came back with a vengeance Thursday when the three-time All-Star publicly acknowledged that he had declined the request of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to learn first base after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending left knee injury.
Here's just a sampling of some of the quotes that Devers had about learning first base through Boston's interpreter via Christopher Smith of MassLive:
Rafael Devers: “They had the conversation with me,” Devers said through translator Daveson Perez. “I don’t think me personally it’s the best decision after they asked me to play a different position and I only have two months of playing this position. ...
"To all of a sudden have me try to play another position — so from my end, it doesn’t seem like a good decision."
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) May 8, 2025
Rafael Devers: “I know I’m a ballplayer but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove — that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. 1/2
So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position."
Rafael Devers on Red Sox: "Now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player (to play first base). I'm not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have me now."
Rafael Devers asked if he was upset the Red Sox asked him to consider first base, “Yeah. I don’t think they stay true to their word. They told me I was going to be playing this position, DH. And now they are going back on that. So yeah, I don’t think they stay true to their word"
Maybe the toothpaste can be put back into the tube by the Red Sox. If Bregman opts out of his deal in the offseason and signs elsewhere, Devers may wind up back at third base next season. But Bregman is off to a tremendous start in his first season with the Red Sox, so you would think they will make a strong effort to retain him. Even if third base is open again in 2026, you do wonder based on some of these quotes if the relationship can be salvaged.
The initial inclination here is that if Devers is moved, it would be in the offseason. But considering the rate that this relationship seems to be deteriorating, is it really that crazy to think that the Red Sox could move Devers this summer? They did something similar in trading Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the summer of 2008, getting back Jason Bay in a three-way trade that also included the Pittsburgh Pirates. They moved a disgruntled superstar, but got back a piece that still allowed them as the defending World Series Champions to compete. That situation is different in the fact that Ramirez was in his age-36 season, as opposed to Devers being 28. Ramirez also was in a contract year, while Devers is in just the third season of a 10-year/$313.5 million pact.
But part of the reason that the Red Sox have asked Devers to change positions multiple times the last few months is they are flush with position-playing talent. They signed Bregman in February. Campbell has an .819 OPS so far in his rookie season. Outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer are two of the top nine prospects in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and each of them is projected to reach the majors at some point this season. If there's a team that could withstand the midseason loss of Devers — especially if they feel he's becoming a distraction — it's the Red Sox. They also probably wouldn't mind acquiring an impact pitcher(s) and shedding most or all of the future remaining money owed to Devers.
That leads us to Jomboy's Jake Storiale, who suggested this morning that if things are at such a bad point with the Red Sox that Devers gets traded during the season, the Phillies would be a good fit for the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner:
.@TalkinJake proposes the Phillies as a trade landing spot for Rafael Devers 🤔 https://t.co/edDfWqMlyS
We should be clear, as Storiale is in the video, that this is not a report or a rumor. It's just him connecting some dots. And he won't be the last one to do it.
You have the obvious angle that Dave Dombrowski was leading Boston's front office when a 21-year-old Devers helped the Red Sox to win the 2018 World Series. The Phillies have a third baseman in Alec Bohm who appears to have turned the corner, but got off to a brutal start after an offseason where the Phillies were clearly willing to listen to trade offers for his services. Devers also provides left-handed thump, and would give the Phillies a potential replacement for Kyle Schwarber if they fear he's going to price himself out of their comfort zone after this season.
NEW Phillies Stoplight 🚦@TimKellySports
🚦: How much is too much for Kyle Schwarber?
🚦: If not Schwarber, then who?
🚦: Phillies-Guardians series preview? pic.twitter.com/6IicSzdcs7
Whether the Phillies would actually have interest is unclear. Do they believe so much in Devers' bat that they would be willing to let him return to third base and take the lumps that come with him defensively? If not, are they willing to tie down the DH spot for the next seven years? Is Devers going to be happy as someone primarily serving as a DH? Do the Phillies think things have just gone sideways in Boston, or do they worry that Devers could be a negative clubhouse influence wherever he's at? All of these are questions to answer.
What should be made clear — because many have suggested the opposite on social media over the last 24 hours — is that the Devers contract isn't an albatross. It may now feel like that for the Red Sox because he's disgruntled, but this is a 28-year-old player that has hit .285 with 169 home runs, 542 RBIs and an .876 OPS since the start of the 2019 season. He's one of the best hitters in baseball. If he had become a free agent last offseason, he probably would have gotten a deal that guaranteed him quite a bit more than the $313.5 million — which includes deferrals — he signed up for a few years ago.
Now, whether the Phillies are currently in a position budget wise to take on Devers' $29.15 million luxury tax threshold number might be another discussion. Adding him would also bring another left-handed bat to a lineup that already includes Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Max Kepler, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. There's also the return to consider, because even though taking on most or all of his remaining money might reduce how much it takes to land Devers, Boston is at the beginning of a World Series window and still would likely want multiple pieces that are MLB-ready in return for Devers.
There's a lot of moving parts here. It may be that the Red Sox work things out with Devers. If not, though, the Phillies will continue to be mentioned as a possible landing spot for him. Devers probably would make more sense in the offseason as a potential Schwarber successor, but it's hardly outlandish to wonder if the Phillies could eventually be a fit.
