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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Only one thing is certain in Boston at this point: The Devers problem calls for a meaningful solution.<\/p>\n
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