The Red Sox have had internal discussions about the possibility of moving the long-time third baseman Rafael Devers across the infield to first base, according to a report from MassLive's Sean McAdam. McAdam further suggests the club consider a trade for the third baseman Nolan Arenado with the Cardinals as a potential option to fill their vacancy at hot corner if Devers changes positions.
The idea of putting Devers first has been raised before The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal And Jon Heyman of the New York Post Throughout the offseason so far, although McAdams' report is considered the first confirmation that a position change for Devers is being explored internally within the organization. Previously Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has declined to comment on the possibility of displacing Devers from the third position, other than saying the club would not seriously consider the idea without first discussing it with Devers himself. That could be a complicating factor in a position change, as Devers' agent, Nelson Montes de Oca, recently said Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that Devers has no plans to leave the hot corner.
“He's a third baseman,“Montes de Oca said to Speier: “and he will continue to play third base and work hard to get better at it. That's his position, that's what he likes to play and that's what he'll play.”
Resistance to a position change from Devers isn't the only potential obstacle to a move. Finally, the Red Sox have an extremely talented incumbent first baseman Triston Casaswho, at just 24 years old, remains under the team's control for four more seasons and has done so previously expressed interest in signing a long-term contract extension with Boston. The youngster missed much of the 2024 season due to injury, but has been a career .250/.357/.473 hitter (125 wRC+) since making his big league debut late in the 2022 season. There was speculation at times this winter that the Red Sox might consider moving on from Casas at pitcher, but Breslow thought so to shoot down quickly these rumors earlier this month. Given that, moving Devers to first base would require the front office to either change its stance on dealing Casas or park and push him at DH on a regular basis Masataka Yoshida (and the three years and $55.6 million remaining on his contract) were either benched or cut from the roster entirely.
As complicated as a position change might be for Devers, the potential benefits for the club could be significant. Devers is, by most measures, one of the worst-positioned third basemen in the sport, and a move across the diamond would certainly dramatically improve the club's infield defense. In 2024, Devers had a -9 Defensive Runs Saved value and a -5 value in Statcast's Fielding Run Value metric. This is the lowest DRS and tied for the lowest FRV of any qualified (min. 750 innings) third basemen this year. Replacing Devers with an average or even slightly below average Glove at third would significantly improve the club's infield defense, but a position change for Devers would likely be just as motivated because it would create an opportunity to improve the club's offense.
If Devers opened third base and moved to first base, it would be an easy way for the Red Sox to add a right-handed bat to the lineup. Adding some thump from the right side was a priority for Boston heading into the trade deadline, and the club's need for a right-handed hitter to bolster its offense became increasingly apparent with the outfielder Tyler O'Neill hit the open market earlier this month. According to the club's reports, that need has been focused primarily on the outfield at this point in the offseason interest either in a reunion with O'Neill or in agreeing to a deal Teoscar Hernandezbut the club's outfield remains crowded Jarren Duran, Wilyer AbreuAnd Ceddanne Rafaela Everything with playing time in mind before considering the top prospect Roman Anthony (or the veterans Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder), who should be ready to take on a regular role sometime in 2025.
As complicated as the outfield picture already is, it's easy to see why adding a right-handed bat to the infield might be a better, simpler option than adding another player to the club's backlog on the field. Given this, it is perhaps no surprise that the club is linked to both Long-time third baseman for the Astros Alex Bregman And former Brewers shortstop Willy Adames in free agency. Both players have expressed a willingness to move to second base (and in Adames' case, third base) if their new club desires, meaning that the addition of either player does not necessarily represent a position change for the Devers would require. With highly rated second base prospect Kristian Campbell Seemingly in the mix for Boston starts as early as Opening Day, however, it's easy to see why the Red Sox might prefer to install Bregman or Adames at the hot corner and move Devers to the starting spot.
While the club's interest in Bregman and Adames has been rarely reported over the winter, McAdams' suggestion that Arenado could be considered for the Red Sox is the first connection between Boston and the veteran star. Unlike Bregman and Adames, it's almost inconceivable that a 10-time Gold Glove winner like Arenado would change positions out of consideration for Devers, meaning a deal for the 33-year-old would certainly require a position change for the younger star. Arenado is also having his second straight season offensively. While he was a finalist for the NL MVP award in 2022, he has hit just .269/.320/.426 (104 wRC+) in two seasons since.
However, Arenado's defense has remained well above average, even if it's not quite as elite as it was in his heyday, and that has allowed him to pick up about three wins in each of the last two seasons. While he may no longer have the same impact as Bregman or Adames, the three years and $74 million remaining on the veteran's contract pale in comparison to the nine-figure amounts both free agents are expected to receive, and likely would hampering Boston's pursuit of other top names in the market like Juan Soto, Corbin BurnesAnd Blake Snellespecially if a deal involved the Cardinals either retaining some money or taking on a significant portion of Yoshida's contract in return. Any deal involving Arenado would, of course, require the veteran's approval given his full no-trade clause. While the 33-year-old did not request an exchange So far, both he and the Cardinals appear ready to part ways if the right deal comes along, as the club plans to retool and focus on youth in 2025.
