The Red Sox are holding internal discussions about the possibility of moving the third baseman Rafael Devers across the infield to first base, according to a report from MassLive’s Sean McAdam. McAdam continues to suggest that the club look at trading the third baseman Nolan Arenado with the Cardinals as a possible option to fill their spot at the hot corner should Devers change positions.
The idea of Devers moving on has previously been floated by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jon Heyman of The New York Post throughout the season so far, though McAdam’s report stands as the first confirmation that a Devers position change is being considered within the organization. . Formerly, a baseball official Craig Breslow declined to comment on the possibility of moving Devers to third base except to say the club would not entertain the idea without discussing it with Devers himself. That could be a problem for the position change, as Devers’ agent, Nelson Montes de Oca, recently told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe that Devers has no plans to move away from the hot corner.
“He is the third follower,“Montes de Oca told Speier, “and will continue to play third base and work hard to get better at it. That’s his position, that’s what he likes to play, and that’s what he’ll be playing.“
Resistance to the position change from Devers’ camp isn’t the only potential obstacle to the move. After all, the Red Sox have a very talented first baseman Residences in Triston Casasthe 24-year-old remains under team control for four more seasons and has expressed interest in signing with Boston on a long-term extension. The youngster missed most of the 2024 season with an injury but is a career .250/.357/.473 (125 wRC+) hitter since making his big league debut late in the 2022 season. There was speculation at times this winter that the Red Sox might consider moving on from Casas to the world first base hitter, but Breslow was quick to quash those rumors earlier this month. Given that, moving to first base for Devers would require the front office to reverse its dealing status with Casas or put him at DH permanently, he pushed. Masataka Yoshida (with three years and $55.6MM remaining on his contract) either on the bench or off the roster entirely.
As difficult as Devers’ position change is, the potential benefits for the club could be huge. Devers is among the three worst players in the sport by most metrics, and moving across the diamond would improve the club’s defense dramatically. In 2024, Devers was worth -9 Defensive Runs Saved and posted -5 in Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric. That’s the lowest DRS and tied for the lowest FRV of all qualified (min. 750 innings) third basemen this year. Replacing Devers with an average or slightly below-average glove at third would improve the team’s infield defense, but Devers’ change of position may be motivated by creating a way to improve the club’s offense.
If third base were to be opened by Devers going to first, that would create an easy spot for the Red Sox to add a right-handed bat to the lineup. Adding something from the right side has been a priority for Boston since the trade deadline, and the club’s need for a right-handed hitter to add to the offense grew even more prominent with the outfielder. Tyler O’Neill hit the open market earlier this month. Much attention to this need has been focused on the outfield at the moment given the club’s interest in reuniting with O’Neill or entering into a deal with O’Neill. Teoscar Hernandezbut the club’s outdoor arena is still packed Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreuagain Ceddanne Rafaela it’s all in the mix for playing time already before considering the higher odds Roman Anthony (or veterans Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder), which should be ready to take on a regular role sometime in 2025.
Since that outfield picture is already tough, it’s easy to see why adding a right-handed bat to the infield would be a preferable, more straightforward option than adding another player to the team’s logjam in the grass. Given that, it’s perhaps no surprise that the club has been linked to the Astros’ longtime third baseman Alex Bregman and former shortstop for the Brewers Willy Adams in free agency. Both players have expressed openness to moving to second base (and third, in Adames’ case) if their new club so desires, meaning the addition of either player would not require Devers to change positions. With the observation of the second base that is considered the most Kristian Campbell it seems like the mix starts in Boston as soon as Opening Day, however, it’s easy to see why the Red Sox might choose to put Bregman or Adames at the hot corner and move Devers first.
While the club’s interest in Bregman and Adames has been reported several times so far this winter, McAdam’s suggestion that Arenado could be a consideration for the Red Sox is the first connection between Boston and the veteran star. Unlike Bregman and Adames, all that’s unclear is whether a 10-time Gold Glove winner like Arenado would switch positions to honor Devers, meaning the 33-year-old’s deal would certainly require a position change for the young star. Arenado will also start his second consecutive season on the ground offensively. While he’s a finalist for the NL MVP award back in 2022, he’s hit .269/.320/.426 (104 wRC+) in the two seasons since.
That said, Arenado’s defense has always been above average even if it’s not as polished as it was in his prime, and that’s allowed him to become a three-winner over the past two seasons. While he may not be able to provide the same level of impact as Bregman or Adames, the three years and $74MM remaining on the veteran’s contract pales in comparison to the nine figures both free agents are expected to land and likely won’t hurt. Boston’s pursuit of some of the top names in the market is similar Juan Soto, Corbin Burnsagain Blake Snellespecially if the deal involves the Cardinals keeping some money or taking a large portion of Yoshida’s contract in return. Any deal involving Arenado, of course, would require the veteran’s approval given his full no-trade clause. While the 33-year-old has yet to request a trade, he and the Cardinals appear to be open to parting ways if the right deal fits the club’s plans to retool and focus on youth in 2025.
Source link
