Rafael Devers’ Departure: An In-Depth Analysis of the Situation in the Red Sox
For months, the relationship between Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox was a topic of public debate. Surprisingly, Boston fans did not boo their designated hitter. This reaction contrasts with the experience of others, including figures like Ted Williams and Roger Clemens, who faced hostility from the fans. Instead, Red Sox fans supported Devers until the end, even when he was traded to the opposite coast after another home run against the New York Yankees. This support, despite Devers’ refusal to adapt to the team’s changes, reveals more about the fans’ distrust of the Red Sox management than about loyalty to Devers. The fans’ disappointment was manifested on social media and radio programs, with reactions of anger and skepticism. The situation is aggravated by the perception that the organization no longer prioritizes success on the field, especially since the transfer of Mookie Betts in 2020. The transfer of Betts, a home-grown star, has shaped how fans view every decision made by the Red Sox. Although owner John Henry has been successful in baseball, winning four championships, the fans perceive him as an owner interested in other sports businesses. Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s chief of baseball operations, defended Devers’s trade, assuring the team’s commitment to winning. However, many fans believe that the management stopped prioritizing sporting success after the 2018 championship, with the inability to retain Betts as a turning point. After trading Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Red Sox have diminished their position as a baseball powerhouse. Betts’ new team has more World Series titles than the Red Sox have had winning seasons since the trade. The fans’ opinion on the Devers trade differs from that of the industry. Many rival executives believe the Red Sox did well to get rid of a star with a costly contract who refused to adapt, receiving four players from the San Francisco Giants in return, including the talented lefty Kyle Harrison.It’s clear that the Red Sox have work to do to fill the void left by Devers. The team will need to add talent, even if that means taking on more expenses. Fans need to see that the management really cares about winning, and the only way to achieve that is to win. The organization must learn from this situation and apply it in the future. Devers also has the opportunity to be more receptive and work with his new team. Breslow needs to hear the feedback coming from all corners of the franchise: his interpersonal skills are poor. In his year and a half with the Red Sox, Breslow has failed to build a relationship with the team’s most important player. He must communicate more, connect more, because when he doesn’t build those relationships, what stagnates in the void of conversation is the kind of deterioration of communication that developed with Devers. Red Sox manager Alex Cora needs to acknowledge that he was ineffective in the Devers drama. He has a long relationship of affection and respect with Devers, but, what good did that relationship do for the organization really, when Cora couldn’t get Devers to do what he, Breslow, and Henry needed him to do? Only Cora and Devers know what they said to each other, but whether Cora chose to play good cop to Breslow’s bad cop or felt it was better to support Devers instead of confronting him, it didn’t work. And, above all, Henry must introspect: he must recognize that it was his original sin that put Boston in this situation. He chose not to pay his best and most dynamic player what he was worth, subjecting the franchise to the Betts tax that it continues to pay over and over again. Because they didn’t sign Betts, the Red Sox gave in to the pressure from frustrated fans in their negotiations with Devers, agreeing to a deal that worried some in the franchise, given the doubts about Devers’ ability to lead and whether he was destined to become an overpaid designated hitter. Henry needs to do what he didn’t do with Betts and Jon Lester and Xander Bogaerts and Chris Sale and others: keep the best stars. Pay to keep the next Yaz, the next Ortiz. Maybe it’s Roman Anthony, maybe it’s Marcelo Mayer, maybe it’s Jarren Duran. As Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton said last year, fans don’t care about an owner’s bottom line. They care about winning. Henry needs to prove, once and for all, that that’s his priority, too.They did wrong. Devers’ handling was a 10 out of 10 in bad.
Executive
