Rafael Devers was introduced by the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, and he’s willing to play anywhere his new team asks him. It’s a change of tune for Devers, who balked at playing the field for the Boston Red Sox this season.
Devers and the Red Sox feuded over where he’d play, with the player’s unhappiness going back to the spring when the team started kicking the tires on signing third baseman Alex Bregman or trading for Nolan Arenado. Devers wanted to stay at third, and the Red Sox maintained he was their starting third baseman — even after Bregman arrived.
It was believed Bregman — who won a gold glove at the hot corner last season for Houston — would shift to second base. But that didn’t happen. Bregman got third base, and Devers was moved to Boston’s full-time DH.
Devers felt slighted and complained about the communication between him and the team. When Triston Casas was lost for the season in early June, he declined when the Red Sox asked if he’d give first base a try.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said they couldn’t find “alignment” with Devers on his role with the team in a Zoom call Monday night, and even admitted to missteps in his handling of Devers throughout the season. But in the end, the Red Sox decided to move on from their highest-paid player and he was ultimately traded to San Francisco for four players.
Now Devers is ready — and willing — to play anywhere for the Giants.
“I’m here to give my 100 percent,” Devers said through translator Erwin Higueros, San Francisco’s Spanish radio broadcaster. “They’re the men in charge and I’m here to play wherever they want me to play.”
The Giants said Devers will DH and see some time at first. Devers said he doesn’t have a preference where he plays, echoing he’d take the field “wherever they want me to.” He even took some grounders at first ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Devers was San Francisco’s designated hitter in his Giants debut Tuesday night and received huge ovations every time he stepped to the plate. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and two strikeouts while hitting third in the lineup, with his third-inning RBI double putting the Giants on top 2-1 at the time. But Devers and San Fran lost his debut, 3-2.
Rafael Devers thanks Red Sox
While his willingness to play anywhere for the Giants sends a message to the Red Sox, Devers was very complimentary of his former organization before he received his No. 16 San Francisco jersey.
“I just want to thank the Boston Red Sox organization for signing me at 16 and giving me the opportunity to become a leader,” he said. “I’m happy to be here with the San Francisco Giants and obviously happy to represent Latin America, and also happy to be able to meet Barry Bonds.”
The Red Sox signed Devers a 10-year, $313 million contract just a few years ago. The Sunday trade was shocking to everyone, with the news breaking just a few hours after Devers homered in a win over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
Devers said it was just another Sunday, until those shockwaves hit.
“Well, Sunday was a normal day for me until I found out that I was traded,” he said. “But obviously I took the news like like a man, and I appreciate the fact that they traded me in order to give me the opportunity to continue playing baseball.”
Devers was asked if he wanted to clear the air on anything that happened in Boston, but said he didn’t want to talk about it.
“That’s in the past,” he said. “Moving forward.”
Rafael Devers on playing the Red Sox
While Devers would like to move on with the Giants and the Red Sox want to move in their new direction, that’s going to prove difficult this weekend. The Red Sox will play three games against the Giants this weekend in San Francisco.
It might make for some awkward pre-game meetups on both sides, but Devers will be focused on one thing when he steps to the plate (or takes the field) this weekend.
“Obviously, the goal is to win the games, right? But I will try and get myself 100 percent and try to win the series,” he said.
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