When the Red Sox front office or ownership group speaks, it often leaves more questions than answers. Fans have grown accustomed to long explanations about “organizational philosophy” and “long-term vision,” but rarely the kind of direct clarity they’re looking for.
On Sunday, chairman Tom Werner spoke and didn’t disappoint as he revisited the Rafael Devers saga that dominated the early part of last season.
“I don’t like to speak ill of any player. I’d like to say that he’s a wonderful person,” Werner told The Boston Globe. “But, of course, when we had an injury at first base, his unwillingness to play that position was extremely discouraging.”
The tension traces back to last spring, when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman at the start of camp. With Bregman taking over third base, Devers was informed he would move into a full-time designated hitter role. Initially, Devers pushed back publicly about shifting off his natural position, though he ultimately agreed to become the everyday DH.
The situation escalated when Boston later asked him to consider playing first base following a season-ending injury at the position — a request Devers declined. Werner’s comments on Sunday offered ownership’s clearest public acknowledgment of the standoff that ultimately played a significant role in how events unfolded prior to a Father’s Day trade.
After a slow start, Devers began to find his rhythm at the plate. Then, just over a month into the season, Triston Casas ruptured his patellar tendon and was lost for the year. With a sudden hole at first base, the Red Sox approached Devers about returning to the field and learning the position. He declined.
“It was a discouraging episode,” Werner said. “Just pick up a glove.”
Devers, however, had been clear about his frustration. After being told in spring training to put his glove away and focus solely on designated hitter duties following the signing of Bregman, he didn’t view the in-season request as reasonable.
“I know I’m a ballplayer but at the same time they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said last year. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove — that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
Werner’s recent comments offer some insight into what may have been said behind closed doors when principal owner John Henry flew to Kansas City in May to meet with Devers following his public criticism of management. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow later described the meeting as “an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox.”
While Devers stood firm, Boston was left patching the position together, platooning Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro at first base to fill the void left by Casas.
“He expressed his feelings. John did the same thing,” manager Alex Cora said at the time. “The most important thing here is we’re trying to accomplish something big. There are changes on the roster, situations that happen, and you have to adjust.”
One month later, following a three-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park, the Red Sox pulled the trigger. Devers was traded to the Giants in a five-player deal, with San Francisco taking on the remainder of his contract.
In return, Boston received left-hander Kyle Harrison, hard-throwing righty Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III, and right-handed pitching prospect Jose Bello.
Once in the Bay Area, Devers appeared in 17 games at first base for the Giants — the very position he declined to play in Boston. Devers taking reps at first base didn’t go unnoticed by fans in New England and caused further frustration amongst the Fenway Faithful.
As the Red Sox enter spring training, they only have one player remaining from the blockbuster swap, trading Harrison to the Brewers in a multi-player deal for infielder Caleb Durbin, moving Hicks to the White Sox with David Sandlin in a salary dump, saving the Sox $8 million over the next two seasons, and they sent Tibbs III and another outfield prospect to the Dodgers for two months of Dustin May last season, who ultimately was shut down with an arm issue and then signed with the Cardinals this winter.
The players the Red Sox received for Rafael Devers last June:
James Tibbs III- traded to Dodgers
Jordan Hicks- traded to White Sox
Kyle Harrison- traded to Brewers
Jose Bello- 55.2 IP in Rookie Ball/Single-A in 2025 pic.twitter.com/3Ic0nIBE7m
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) February 9, 2026
Speaking of Bregman, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy didn’t mince words when he met with the Sox’ media on Sunday morning. Boston lost Bregman this offseason to a five-year, $175-million deal with the Cubs. The Red Sox reportedly offered a similar deal to Bregman’s camp but a no-trade clause was the tipping point for the veteran third baseman.
When asked on Sunday if not offering the no-trade clause was an organizational policy, Kennedy replied: “If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately, he’d be here.” He was asked again about the organization’s policy on offering a no-trade clause to free agents and he wouldn’t further elaborate.
