Manny Ramirez Says Rafael Devers Was 'Humiliated' by Red Sox Before Giants Trade

Boston Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez has offered a theory about why things between Rafael Devers and the organization fell apart to the point they traded him to the San Francisco Giants in a surprise blockbuster on Sunday night.

Speaking to MLB insider Héctor Gómez, Ramirez explained the Red Sox "humiliated" Devers dating back to the offseason when they didn't do a good job of communicating their desire to have him change positions when Alex Bregman signed with the club.

"Devers was humiliated (by the Red Sox). It's not about pride or ego," Ramirez said. "I think the team didn't respect him or communicate with him properly. I'm sure they didn't do that to Clemens. I can't imagine the Yankees telling Judge, 'Now we're moving you to catcher.'"

There were two different position-change controversies involving Devers this year. The first one started back in February when the Red Sox initially signed Bregman.

Devers told reporters on Boston's first full day of spring training workouts that he wasn't moving off third base and made that clear in his conversations with the organization.

"No. Third base is my position," Devers said. "It's what I play. I don't know what their plans are. We had a conversation. I made it clear on what my desires were. Whatever happens from here, I don't know."

One month later, Devers told reporters he was "good to do whatever they want me to do" and acquiesced to being a full-time DH.

After the Red Sox lost starting first baseman Triston Casas for the season due to a ruptured tendon in his knee on May 2, there was speculation Devers might be asked to play the position.

Manager Alex Cora said he wasn't going to use Devers at first. The three-time All-Star expressed his frustration with the organization, specifically chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, asking him to play the position.

Even though Devers' situation seemed to cause a rift between himself and the club, it didn't have an obvious impact on his performance. The 28-year-old hit .272/.401/.504 with 15 homers in 73 games prior to being traded on Sunday night.

It's certainly a bold move for the Red Sox to trade their second-best hitter—Bregman, who has been on the injured list since May 24 with a quad strain, leads the team with a 160 OPS+—at a time when they just swept the New York Yankees and moved into the final wild-card spot in the AL over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Devers will get a fresh start with a Giants team that has been a pleasant surprise this season. They are the No. 2 wild card in the NL and trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by just 2.5 games in the NL West entering play on Tuesday.