The Boston Red Sox find themselves in a tricky situation regarding who will be the starting third baseman for this season.
Rafael Devers clearly stated last week that he had no desire to leave the position, even after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, a Gold Glove winner at third last season, to a three-year, $120 million contract in free agency.
Red Sox skipper Alex Cora and Bregman have already responded to Devers’ sharp remarks. On Sunday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow also had the opportunity to share his thoughts on the issue.
“Such matters often find a way to resolve themselves,” Breslow told MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “This isn’t the first instance where a player has been vocal about an issue they are very proud of.” And that’s fine. As I mentioned, they generally resolve on their own.
The Red Sox have not explicitly revealed which infield position Bregman will assume during his inaugural season in Boston. Reports after the signing indicated that the veteran was likely to transition to second base, a position currently available with the Red Sox.
However, Bregman spent most of his career at third base — he has 977 starts at the hot corner versus only two at second — and undeniably is a superior defensive choice there compared to Devers. Devers has made more mistakes than any current third baseman in the whole league.
It appears logical to believe the Red Sox would prefer to place Bregman at third base and shift Devers to the designated hitter role. And if the highly regarded prospect Kristian Campbell is prepared, assign him the starting position at second base.
Breslow stated, “I believe being in a situation where top players discuss positions is not a bad place to be.” “I mentioned it during our discussion about Alex (Bregman) and his introduction, that my duty is to field the best team I can, both offensively and defensively.”
The Red Sox are likely to spend a majority of spring training before reaching a final verdict. That period might also provide an opportunity to convince Devers about a position change.
Bregman played third base on Sunday and made an excellent initial impact in his debut for Red Sox spring training. Conversely, Devers is continuing to recover from a shoulder issue that affected him during the entirety of last season.
