A seismic change could be coming to the Boston Red Sox in a couple of weeks.
Third base is currently in a bit of controversy for Boston. Since 2017, Rafael Devers has manned the hot corner and has recently stated that “third base is my position”.
While Devers is one of the best hitters in baseball, he has not lived up to the same level defensively; he has led all AL third baseman in errors each season since 2018.
Alex Bregman, who has spent the last nine years at third base, was signed in free agency this offseason. He has come out and said he would play wherever, which would mean he would move to second base if Devers stayed at third.
The potential issue would be if Kristian Campbell, the No. 4 MLB prospect per Baseball America, wins the second base job.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that “If he wins it, Bregman will play third and Devers — who has received MVP votes five of the past six years and signed a franchise-record $313.5 million contract — will move to designated hitter, a role he said unequivocally he doesn’t want to play.”
Moving your franchise player to a position that he does not want to play will certainly cause some friction. It seems as though the Red Sox are ready for that, as Passan later stated “the Red Sox see Campbell as worth the potential drama.”
It has been a meteoric rise for Campbell. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and spent 2024 progressing through three levels of the minors which culminated in winning Minor League Player of the Year from Baseball America.
Alex Bregman offers the response to Red Sox drama that Rafael Devers couldn’t
The Boston Red Sox have made multiple moves this offseason to push the team in the right direction heading into the 2025 season. The additions of Walker Buehler and Garrett Crochet to the starting rotation will likely prove to be solid ones.
But arguably the biggest addition of Boston’s winter was superstar third baseman Alex Bregman, adding a two-time All-Star to a lineup that didn’t struggle to score runs to begin with in 2024, and The addition of the former Houston Astros star alongside a few top prospects likely to make their debut is a great sign for the Red Sox.
But there’s just one problem: Rafael Devers doesn’t seem too keen to the idea of moving to the DH spot to clear third base up for Bregman, allowing the team to unlock its optimal starting nine. Boston’s star incumbent began spring training by stating that he’s a third baseman only, and it seemed like he wasn’t willing to move off the spot. But while everyone else involved in the situation has been a little too open with the media so far, Bregman himself has done nothing but take the high road.
Alex Bregman provides breath of fresh air for Red Sox fans amid third base drama
While Devers’ response has caused some controversy in the media, Bregman is taking the opposite approach. Rather than try to assert himself at third base, second base, or anywhere else, Bregman is taking things in stride and doing whatever the team needs to be successful.
“It’s an honor to be Raffy’s teammate … I feel like this has been talked about way more in the media than it has in the clubhouse,” Bregman said. “We’ve just been keeping our head down, getting to work. Like you said, I’ll play anywhere, I truly mean it. Wherever AC tells me to play, I’ll be ready to play.”
This is a much different response than the one that came from Devers.
This is going to be a tough road for the Red Sox to figure out. If they do what they want to do, which is play Bregman at third and Devers as the DH, Devers will likely be upset. There have been rumblings in the media that he may request a trade at that point, but there’s been nothing from anybody reliable that indicates this to be true.
If the team moves Bregman to second base and allows Devers to stay at third, it could stunt top prospect Kristian Campbell’s chance of finding a way into the lineup. Campbell dominated Minor League pitching in his first two years of professional baseball and sure looks ready for a promotion soon. But if Bregman slots in at second base, there’s no where for Campbell to go.
Either way, Bregman’s response to this alleged drama should seem like a breath of fresh air for Red Sox fans.
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