The Boston Red Sox stunned the baseball world when they chose to ship All-Star Rafael Devers out of Boston and to the San Francisco Giants for multiple Major League pitchers and prospects.
No matter how fans feel about the return the Red Sox received for Devers, there has been plenty of speculation over how things got so bad between the star player and the franchise. Following his first game playing against the Red Sox as a member of the Giants, Devers did his best to try and clear things up by sharing his side of the story.
Rafael Devers Clarifies First Base Controversy After Being Traded to S.F.
It has been widely discussed how Devers was asked to make the move to designated hitter following the acquisition of veteran third baseman Alex Bregman. While there was reluctance on Devers' part to give up his position, he ultimately agreed to the team's request and focused on being the best DH he could be for Boston.
Unfortunately, as it tends to do, the injury bug bit the Red Sox roster during the early portion of the season and Boston was left with a hole at first base they needed to fill. Perhaps naturally, they turned to Devers to ask him to take on the role and move away from being the full-time designated hitter.
This is where things took a turn for the worse, but as Devers stated, he would have been open to the change had it been asked of him in spring training rather than in-season after he had spent so much time trying to master the art of being an MLB DH.
"I put up some good numbers in Boston, and I feel like I earned some respect," Devers said through an interpreter, via ESPN. "If they would have asked me at the beginning of spring training, yes, I would have played [first]."
With Devers well on his way to another 30 home run, 100 RBI season, this move will be scrutinized for quite some time. Especially if he continues to raise his game as a member of the Giants.