{"id":44543,"date":"2025-03-27T11:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T11:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44543"},"modified":"2025-03-27T11:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T11:04:10","slug":"alex-cora-reveals-red-sox-winning-business-reason-for-rafael-devers-alex-bregman-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44543","title":{"rendered":"Alex Cora reveals Red Sox ‘winning business’ reason for Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

After weeks of speculation, Red Sox manager Alex Cora officially ended the debate on who will play third base this season in Boston. Speaking on WEEI Sports Radio Wednesday, Cora revealed that newcomer Alex Bregman will handle the hot corner while longtime third baseman Rafael Devers shifts to designated hitter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made a decision. Alex is going to play third, Raffy\u2019s going to DH,\u201d Cora said. \u201cWe all are in the winning business, and [Devers] understands that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move puts an end to a saga that has hovered over the team since the Red Sox signed Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal this offseason. The addition of Bregman, who won a Gold Glove at third base last year with Houston, raised immediate questions about where Devers, a two-time Silver Slugger, would fit.<\/p>\n

Devers was initially resistant to giving up third base. \u201cMy position is third base,\u201d he said in February. However, the 28-year-old star softened his stance as spring progressed, eventually telling reporters he was \u201cgood to do whatever they want me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex Bregman will handle the hot corner for the Red Sox<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Alex
Erik Williams-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cora acknowledged the transition wouldn\u2019t be easy, but emphasized that the decision was made in the best interest of the team\u2019s success. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to agree with it,\u201d he said, \u201cbut at the end of the day, [this is] what we\u2019re going to do to perform every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Related Boston Red Sox NewsArticle continues below<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While Devers has been a mainstay at third since debuting in 2017, his defense has long been a weak spot. He\u2019s led the American League in errors multiple times and holds a -62 defensive runs saved (DRS) rating since entering the league. In contrast, Bregman has been one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball over that same stretch, with +21 DRS and +26 outs above average.<\/p>\n

Moving Devers to DH not only maximizes the team\u2019s defense but also gives top prospect Kristian Campbell the opportunity to start at second base. The 22-year-old Campbell was just named to the Opening Day roster after a breakout minor league season.<\/p>\n

Despite the defensive shuffle, Cora remains confident that Devers will thrive offensively. \u201cHe\u2019s been working hard, not only with his swing, but with the routine,\u201d Cora said. \u201cThe kid is ready to go. He\u2019s going to hit second, against lefties and righties, and he\u2019s going to DH.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the positional questions now resolved, Boston can fully shift its focus to Opening Day. The Red Sox begin their 2025 campaign Thursday afternoon against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.<\/p>\n

As Cora put it, \u201cEvery DH used to be a position player until they were DHs, right?\u201d Now it\u2019s Devers\u2019 turn to make that adjustment\u2014all in the name of winning.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After the back and forth rumors about Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers and who would be the third baseman, Cora made a ‘winning business’ move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":44544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[238,46,47,44,703],"class_list":["post-44543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-alex-bregman","tag-alex-cora","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-mlb","tag-rafael-devers"],"yoast_head":"\nAlex Cora reveals Red Sox 'winning business' reason for Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman decision - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44543\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alex Cora reveals Red Sox 'winning business' reason for Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman decision - 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