Moving Rafael Devers off third base could unlock Red Sox offseason

Moving Rafael Devers off third base could unlock Red Sox offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Might Rafael Devers move off of third base?

Craig Breslow could’ve dismissed the question by now, but he has answered carefully and consistently all fall.

“We have not had those conversations,” Breslow said in September. “Those conversations, if they were to occur, would definitely happen internally before I discuss them here.”

It’s not exactly a denial, and Breslow has since repeated some version of that answer. Perhaps now we know why. It sure sounds like a discussion between player and team is looming, which could have major implications for the 2025 season.

Both Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Sean McAdam of MassLive recently have reported that the Red Sox are open to moving Devers, presumably across the diamond to first base, but also possibly to designated hitter. Despite pockets of passable play, on the whole Devers has delivered subpar defense throughout his career.

As the Red Sox assess how to top .500 for the first time since 2021, infield glovework is clearly top of mind, and Devers has contributed to brutal metrics.

He just led American League third basemen in errors for a record seventh straight season, and is the active leader in that ignominious measure with 141. His advanced stats are no better, with negative run values every year except an outlier 2019. He rated six runs worse than average last year alone.

Really the only justification for leaving Devers at third at this point is not wanting to offend the team’s highest-paid player. Anyone else with his history of defensive mediocrity would’ve been benched or shifted elsewhere by now, but most players with his defensive resume don’t make $30 million annually.

If that’s belatedly going to happen now, the Red Sox have options.

They’ve been linked to free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, who just won his first Gold Glove with the Astros, and also is willing to move to second base. Per McAdam, they might consider St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glover who’s one of the best defenders of this generation. He’d have to be acquired in a trade, because his nine-year, $275 million contract runs through 2027. It’s also worth noting that his production has dipped considerably over the last two seasons, but he’d still be a huge defensive upgrade on Devers, and his right-handed power would balance the lineup.

A third option is free agent shortstop Willy Adames, who has expressed a willingness to move to third.

If Devers moves, dominoes will start falling. He could assume first base duties and make young slugger Triston Casas available in a trade. Breslow sounds understandably disinclined to trade Casas, however, since the youngster boasts 40-homer power and has his entire prime in front of him. That means either Devers or Casas could slide over to DH and make incumbent Masataka Yoshida expendable, even though there’s three years and more than $50 million remaining on his contract.

Considering how little bang for the buck the Red Sox have received on Yoshida — 1.4 WAR each season and an average of 12 homers and 65 RBIs a year — perhaps they could get back in the business of using their financial resources to cut their losses on overpaid, underperforming players.

Put another way, Yoshida should not be the impediment to a Devers move, and his presence definitely shouldn’t contribute to a Casas trade.

Before this discussion can exit the land of the hypothetical, however, the Red Sox will need to talk to Devers about a move. And reading the tea leaves, it certainly sounds like that conversation is coming.

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