The Boston Red Sox successfully clawed their way back to a winning record on Thursday, but that was followed by a different kind of loss. Shortly after the team’s win over the Texas Rangers, Rafael Devers ended his media silence on a potential move to first base by refusing to accept a position change and voicing his displeasure with the front office.
“I know I’m a ballplayer but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.” Devers’ stance presents a problem for the Red Sox, both as they search for an effective replacement at first base and as it seems to widen a rift between the star player and the team’s front office. But Tim Boyle, writing for FanSided, suggested that a trade with the New York Mets could offer some relief.
He pointed out that the Mets have a lot of depth at first base, with the durable Pete Alonso leading the way on the big-league squad and Joey Meneses and Jon Singleton both on minor-league deals. “If Devers isn’t going to make it easy, they’re going to need to explore all options,” Boyle wrote. “This is a team that gave Dominic Smith ample at-bats even with a poor track record. They shouldn’t be above doing the same with Meneses or Singleton, as long as (Mets executive David) Stearns is willing to lend a helping hand.”
It’s an open question whether either of those Mets options would be a real upgrade over the current Red Sox first base platoon of Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez. Meneses slashed just .231/.291/.302 in 281 at-bats for the Washington Nationals last year. And Singleton slashed .234/.321/.386 in 355 at-bats for the Houston Astros last year.
But making an external addition would mark a significant concession to Devers’ wishes from the front office and it could help to patch up their differences. “There’s a long way to go in May and if they’re serious about trying something, cutting a deal with the Mets that’ll probably involve the lowest level of prospect or some cash considerations is the best we could hope for,” Boyle added.
Only one thing is certain in Boston at this point: The Devers problem calls for a meaningful solution.
