Red Sox's Rafael Devers Likes Video Suggesting Position Change, Alex Bregman Contract

Rafael Devers is not shying away from his willingness to move off third base if the Boston Red Sox can sign Alex Bregman.

The three-time All-Star recently liked a post from a Red Sox podcast that was discussing the possibility of Bregman coming to Boston to play the hot corner, with Devers shifting to designated hitter.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow initially dismissed the idea of moving Devers off third base when asked about it during the winter meetings.

The tone has changed in his recent weeks, with Breslow saying on Dec. 30 that "as of now" the plan is for Devers to be the starter at third base in 2025.

The Red Sox have been connected to Bregman, but their level of interest could be waning. MLB.com's John Denton reported on Monday they "could be close" to pulling out of the bidding for the 30-year-old star, especially since Nolan Arenado would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the St. Louis Cardinals can work out a deal with Boston.

Whether the Red Sox end up landing either Bregman or Arenado, either one would represent a significant defensive upgrade at third base. Devers was the worst defensive third baseman in MLB by FanGraphs' defensive value (minus-1.7), defensive runs saved (minus-nine) and outs above average (minus-six).

Since his first full season in 2018, Devers ranks 81st out of 82 qualified players in defensive runs saved (minus-57). Only Nick Castellanos (minus-67) has been worse among all MLB players.

Adding even an average defender at third base would represent a huge upgrade for the Red Sox. It would also Devers to focus entirely on what he does best: hit. He has a .279/.354/.519 slash line in 588 games since the start of the 2021 season.

The Red Sox have taken steps to upgrade their pitching staff this offseason by trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler, but they have yet to make a significant addition on the position player side.

Bregman or Arenado would solve two problems for the Red Sox by giving them a quality starter at third base and allow Devers to replace Masataka Yoshida at DH.