The Chicago Cubs not landing Alex Bregman seems to have ignited drama for the Boston Red Sox that the team didn’t account for when they signed Bregman to a three-year deal worth $120MM.
Reporting after the fact confirmed that the Cubs were never quite a serious bidder for Bregman, and if it weren’t the Red Sox, Bregman felt that he was headed to the Detroit Tigers. In signing Bregman, the Red Sox were intent on moving incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers to be the team’s designated hitter.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove. I wasn’t going to play another position other than DH. Right now, I don’t think it would be an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position,” Devers told reporters on Thursday.
Devers also told Breslow and the Red Sox front office what they should be doing.
“Now, they should do their jobs essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I’m not sure why they want me to be an in-between,” Devers told reporters after the Red Sox game on Thursday. “Next thing you know, someone in the outfield gets hurt, and they want me to play in the outfield. I know the kind of player that I am, and that’s where I stand.”
Cubs fans are connected to the Rafael Devers’ drama
Devers’ reaction is how some Cubs fans believed Seiya Suzuki took the news of moving from right field to being the Cubs’ designated hitter once the Kyle Tucker trade was completed. Unlike Devers, while expressing some frustration over the communication of the plan, Suzuki was willing to accept the change in his role on the roster.
It’s hard to imagine the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox will get much better. Having said that, Devers is signed through 2034. Sure, the Cubs have a “need” for a third baseman, but it’s difficult to imagine Jed Hoyer’s front office would be all that interested in taking on his contract, given the likelihood of them wanting to explore an extension with Kyle Tucker. Beyond that, Devers projects as a designated hitter for the duration of his contract.
That, in the past, has been the type of stranglehold the Cubs’ front office has willingly avoided.