when the Boston Red Sox capped off a “Grade A” offseason by signing former Houston Astros two-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal, the natural next move was to reassign the team’s superstar slugger, entering the second season of his 10-year, $313.5 million team record contract, to somewhere other than third.
For Rafael Devers, a reluctance to give up his position may be understandable. The 28-year-old has played all but 25 of his 955 big league games at third base. So when he was asked about moving to a full-time designated hitter role to make way for the defensively superior Bregman — last year’s American League Gold Glove winner at third base — he flatly refused.
That was in mid-February. By mid-March, he changed his tune.
On Thursday, according to The Boston Globe, Devers said he is open to making the switch to the DH role. The three-time All-Star, after getting in four at-bats in a simulated game at Boston’s spring training home of JetBlue Park, told reporters that he wanted to clear up his stance on the position switch — and sounded a much more conciliatory note.
“It’s not my decision. I don’t call the shots around here. I’ll go out there and do what I need to do,” he said via a translator, as quoted by veteran Globe reporter Peter Abraham. “I just want to help the team win. Whatever position I’m playing, I always take these things as a competition and a way to get better. That’s just how I see it. I’m just ready to help the team win.”
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In an earlier interview, on Wednesday with independent Spanish-language sports journalist Nicole Báez, Devers also made sure that fans knew he bore no ill-will toward his competitor for the third-base spot, Bregman.
