Craig Breslow responds to Red Sox drama with Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers have commanded early Boston Red Sox spring training news since Devers made clear his reluctance to move off third base.
The Red Sox pursued third basemen as their options for right-handed offensive reinforcements all offseason, all the while assuring fans that Devers would be their starting third baseman until the front office said otherwise. Devers clearly took those assurances to heart, especially because he wasn’t told he could be moved elsewhere until two days after the Sox signed Bregman.
The eight-year Red Sox feels he was promised years’ worth of starts at third base by the previous chief baseball officer, Chaim Bloom. Manager Alex Cora responded bluntly to Devers’s steadfastness: “Chaim is in St. Louis now.” Current CBO Craig Breslow issued a more measured response to the friction between two of his veterans (one of whom detests that term).
“These things tend to have a way of working themselves out,” Breslow said to Sean McAdam of MassLive (subscription required). “This is not the first situation where a player’s been outspoken about something that they take a lot of pride in. And that’s OK. Like I said, they tend to work themselves out.”
Craig Breslow confident Red Sox third base battle will work out for the best
Breslow also mentioned his confidence in Alex Cora’s ability to get everyone in the clubhouse on the same page. Although he didn’t say it outright, the only thing Devers needs to be agreeable about is moving positions, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of sticking at the hot corner.
Devers has always been prideful of his defense despite his stats at third base. He’s led MLB in errors at third base five times in his eight-year career, and led the American League in two other seasons. The third baseman may feel slighted after being asked to move, though, because 2024 was his best defensive season yet. He clocked 12 errors — still an AL-leading metric and still too many mistakes — over 130 games, the lowest number of his career.
Bregman and Devers are both critical bats in Boston’s order, so they’ll find their way into the lineup, one way or another. Bregman is still a possibility at second base, where Cora said he’s envisioned the longtime Astros infielder winning a Gold Glove. He’s been splitting his infield reps between second and third base, while Devers’ lingering shoulder injuries still have him a bit behind in his workouts.
There doesn’t seem to be any conflict between the two infielders as their position battle plays out. Cora shared that the two players spoke for “45 minutes” at a team dinner at his house, suggesting there’s no tension between the two competitors for the same starting job.
No matter who wins the third base job, Breslow sees Boston’s depth as a good thing. Two players gunning for the same job will always be better than scrambling to find players to fill gaps. Bregman and Devers are World Series champions, nine and eight-year veterans, respectively, and both are committed to winning. Hopefully, Breslow’s confidence that everything will turn out becomes a reality — many spring training tiffs tend to blow over before the season begins.
