The Boston Pink Sox could have an issue on their fingers.
Incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers shouldn’t be prepared to vary positions. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reported that Devers shouldn’t be fascinated by changing into a delegated hitter, saying “No. I play third.” when requested a couple of place change. Ian Browne from MLB.com reported that Devers mentioned he “made it clear” to supervisor Alex Cora and common supervisor Craig Breslow that he needs to stay on the scorching nook.
Devers has been entrenched at third base throughout his tenure with the Pink Sox. The three-time All-Star is within the midst of an 11-year, $331 million extension he signed forward of the 2023 season, locking him in for the foreseeable future.
The issue is that Devers has struggled defensively on the scorching nook. He has led American League third basemen in errors every year since 2018 and has value the Pink Sox 80 runs at third since breaking into the majors.
The Pink Sox had been linked to 3rd basemen all through the offseason. Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado had been a frequent subject of trade rumors with the Pink Sox prominently featured. The Pink Sox had additionally been linked to 3rd baseman Alex Bregman earlier than he in the end signed in Boston on Wednesday evening.
Bregman solves a number of issues for the Pink Sox. He has a profession .272/.366/.483 batting line with 191 homers and 265 doubles in his 4832 plate appearances, offering one other strong bat in the midst of the lineup. Bregman has additionally saved 28 runs at third in his profession and was the 2024 AL Gold Glove winner. Nevertheless, Jeff Passan from ESPN had reported that Bregman could transfer to second to defer to Devers.
The Pink Sox need to return to the postseason for the second time since successful the 2018 World Sequence. Including Bregman, and putting in him at third base, could be a big step in that path. Whereas Devers needs to stay at third and is refusing to vary positions, he must do what’s finest for the workforce. Meaning packing up his glove and embracing the designated hitter function.
