MLB Writer Blames ‘Stubborn’ Rafael Devers For Dramatic Split With Red Sox

Earlier this month, the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants shocked the baseball world when they executed a blockbuster trade that sent superstar infielder Rafael Devers to the Bay Area.

The split didn’t come without controversy, though.

Devers reportedly refused to play first base to replace the injured Triston Casas, and the Red Sox’s front office was seemingly fed up with him. As a result, Boston traded the same player it inked to a contract worth over $300 million a few years ago.

So, who’s to blame for the split?

FanSided’s Chris Landers was quick to place a chunk of the blame on Devers because of his continued selfish behavior throughout the season.

“You can provide all the context you want. You can point out how callous and careless it was for Boston to not keep its word and keep Devers in the loop when it came to its pursuit of Bregman and Nolan Arenado, as well as the way it handled broaching a position change at the start of spring training,” Landers wrote. “You can point to Breslow’s track record of (mis)managing personalities in his own organization, or Devers continuing to mash through all the noise.

“But the simple fact is that Triston Casas’ injury created a pressing need, one that Devers was physically capable of fulfilling but simply opted not to. He had his reasons for that, some better than others. But when you’re making that much money, it’s not all that much to ask to try and fill in for a fallen teammate. Had Devers been a bit less stubborn, we might not be here right now.”

At the end of the day, Devers needed to do whatever was best for the team, but he refused to do so. To make matters worse, he was being paid over $30 million a year, yet refused to play first base for the team because his ego got in the way.

Devers turned his back on the team, the front office, and the fan base. As a result, the franchise player was traded away. There might not be any hard feelings down the road, but it’s easy to place the blame on Devers for this dramatic breakup.

More MLB: Guardians Predicted To Swing Unthinkable Intra-divisional Trade For Star