Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers has requested a trade from Red Sox. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
It sure looks like the stars could align on this one: Rafael Devers to the Phillies.
Devers could demand a trade out of Boston after the Red Sox and the All-Star third baseman have banged heads all season over the team asking the frustrated slugger to switch positions on two different occasions.
This is where Philly could come into play, as numerous outlets have reported.
The Phillies have their own hot-corner drama (to a lesser extent) with Alec Bohm, who struggled immensely to start the season. And although he’s hit better this month, Bohm’s production has lacked impact with only two extra base hits (a double and a home run) in May. He’s been dropped from the cleanup spot to No. 8 in the lineup. And, lest we forget, the Phillies reportedly shopped him during the offseason.
Even if Devers doesn’t become available, Bohm could find himself back on the trading block as the summer trade deadline approaches, if the Phillies choose to make room for third-base prospect Otto Kemp, who’s currently ripping up Triple-A.
But, undoubtedly, the bigger splash would be trading for a thumper like Devers, who can belt 30 HRs and elevate the team’s lineup to fearsome status. Also, for three seasons, the Phillies have been desperate to add that final magical ingredient that can lead them to a World Series crown. That missing ingredient could be Devers.
Here’s another Devers-to-Philly connection: Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski led Boston’s front office when a 21-year-old Devers helped the Red Sox to win the 2018 World Series.
Beyond the 2025 season, Devers would give Dombrowski a solution to the looming Kyle Schwarber conundrum. If the the team loses the popular Schwarbarian to free agency this offseason, Devers could replace him at designated hitter.
Devers, 28, balked at getting moved to DH during spring training after Boston inked third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal. And then Devers balked again — more vociferously this time — when the Red Sox asked him to move to first base after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury on May 2.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers told reporters through a translator. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
Devers also pointed his ire at Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, saying he doesn’t “understand some of the decisions” that Breslow has made.
That led to Red Sox owner John Henry hopping on a jet to Kansas City — where the Red Sox were playing the Royals this weekend — for a meeting.
The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey wrote of the Devers’ drama: “To label this situation as a mess would be an understatement,” while adding that the team has “angered its franchise player,” whose contract does “not have a no-trade clause.”
But if the situation is that big of a mess, maybe Devers would revoke the clause to come to Philly.