Boston Red Sox owner John Henry met with star Rafael Devers on Friday afternoon, making an unusual trip to meet the team on the road.
The meeting occurred after Devers expressed his disappointment with the organization’s suggestion that he change positions for the second time in two months.
Henry, accompanied by Red Sox baseball boss Craig Breslow and president Sam Kennedy, traveled to Kansas City to address the situation. Devers was reluctant to move from designated hitter to first base following the season-ending knee injury to Triston Casas.
Devers, who signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with Boston in January 2023, told reporters on Thursday that he would not be moving to first base and criticized Breslow, saying, “I don’t understand some of the decisions the general manager makes.” During spring training, Devers said he did not want to leave third base, a position he had held in his first eight seasons in the major leagues.
Finally, he agreed to become Boston’s designated hitter, where he has played in each of the team’s 40 games this season.
Before Friday’s game, Devers met with Henry and manager Alex Cora, and they had what Breslow considered “an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important for the Boston Red Sox.”
The Red Sox have been using Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro, both utility players, to cover the gap at first base amid a 20-19 start to the season.
He expressed his feelings. John did the same. I think the most important thing here is that we are trying to achieve something great here. And obviously there are changes in the roster, situations that have occurred, and you have to adapt.
Alex Cora
Breslow had raised the possibility of Devers, 28, and a three-time All-Star, moving to first base.
Devers didn’t take the idea well, saying on Thursday: “I was told I was going to play in this position, DH, and now they’re going back on it. So I don’t think they’ve kept their word.”
Devers’ comments spurred Henry, who declined to comment, to travel to try to resolve the problems that have been brewing since spring training.
Alex Bregman’s signing accelerated Devers’ move off third base, which evaluators considered inevitable. First base had been considered his most likely destination, but Casas’ presence pushed Devers to the DH position.
According to sources, Devers’ disappointment during the spring was due to feeling surprised by the lack of communication regarding the change of initial position.
It’s my job to always put the organization’s priorities first, but I must also evaluate each interaction I have with the players, and I will continue to do so.
Craig Breslow
Breslow said the decision of whether Devers ultimately agrees to move to first base is a “secondary” issue at this time.
That decision would never be made on a couch in an office in Kansas City, and that conversation is ongoing. The most important thing here is that we believe we have a very good team that is capable of winning a lot of games and playing important games down the stretch. That’s what we need to stay focused on.
Craig Breslow
Cora added: “The plan is to keep having conversations”.
