Should the Boston Red Sox Move Rafael Devers Off Third?

Since making his MLB debut in the middle of the 2017 campaign, Rafael Devers has been a cornerstone for the Boston Red Sox, both in the lineup and at third base.

That, however, may change in 2025 depending on what the Red Sox do the rest of this offseason to try to build the roster around him.

Yes, with Devers still on the roster and very entrenched in Boston’s future thanks to a 10-year, $313.5 million deal that keeps him with the Red Sox through the 2033 campaign (when he will be 36), rumors continue to swirl about the Red Sox adding another All-Star name to the lineup at the hot corner.

And those rumors don’t just center around one name. There are reportedly two potential third basemen currently in Boston’s acquisition crosshairs: Alex Bregman (via free agency) and Nolan Arenado (via a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals).

While Bregman was reportedly the primary target earlier in the offseason, recent reporting suggests that Boston has shifted its priorities to acquiring Arenado.

However, there is a lot that has to fall into place for Arenado to call Fenway Park home in 2024 and beyond. There’s a matter of the money that he is owed, but also a logjam that his addition would create with Triston Casas and Mataka Yoshida both blocking Devers from moving to either first base or DH full-time.

The Red Sox could always move Arenado over to second base, but that would be taking away his greatest attribute, his defense at the hot corner.

So what might the Red Sox infield look like if Bregman or Arenado were to join Devers in the lineup? Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities.

Bregman heads to Boston

Arguably the most coveted infielder on the free agent market this winter, the 30-year-old Bregman won the Gold Glove at third base last season with the Houston Astros. Add to that a .260/.315/.453 slash line and his third consecutive season with 23 or more home runs and it’s easy to see why Bregman would fit in well in Boston (or any other lineup, for that matter).

While the statistics make Bregman an easy fit for any team, his projected cost does not. Estimates have Bregman earning in the neighborhood of $200 million over a six or seven-year deal, meaning he would join Devers and Trevor Story (as the roster stands right now) as Red Sox who will make $22 million or more next season.

As our own Caleb Moody pointed out in this article, those numbers shouldn’t preclude Boston from chasing Bregman as the Red Sox should be able to shell out the salary to make his acquisition a reality.

So what would that mean for Devers and the infield? Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, has said that his client is willing to move to second base. Under that scenario, Devers could stay at third base while Bregman takes over at second and there is very little change in the infield.

That scenario would improve the Red Sox at second base where 11 different members of the Red Sox spent at least some time there last season (with Emmanuel Valdez leading the way with 56 starts). The revolving door at second, however, would end with Bregman coming on board, which would be seen as a big plus in grading Boston’s offseason.

Bregman, of course, could still play third as well, giving Devers time off, so the flexibility with this move might allow Devers a chance to sit some earlier in the campaign (Devers played 130 games at third last season after racking up 151 starts there in 2023).

In terms of simplicity, this checks all of the boxes for the Red Sox. However, at this moment, it also seems to be a possibility that is reportedly losing steam.

Arenado heads to the Red Sox

The mention of Story earlier is a key when it comes to Arenado. After all, the St. Louis third baseman has a no-trade clause in his contract that he must waive to be on the move.

He has reportedly already done that and one of the reasons is said to be because of the recruiting efforts of Story, who joined him on the left side of the infield during his days with the Colorado Rockies from 2016-2020.

Seeing Story and Arenado together again on the left side of the infield is a tantalizing prospect for Boston.

That would mean that not only would the Red Sox have pulled the trigger on a trade with St. Louis and landed one of the best third basemen in MLB history (10 Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers, among other honors), but also that Story’s health would have allowed him to stay on the field for more than 94 games, something that hasn’t happened since he signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Boston prior to the 2022 campaign.

Arenado joining the Red Sox would make for a fascinating potential domino effect.

Sliding Arenado in at third base could then force Devers to play first base, which would then put Casas on the trade market. Devers has never played first base during his eight seasons in Boston … but he has played at second base twice.

Could the Sox move him to second base and keep Casas at first?

There is also a world where the Red Sox send Casas to the Cardinals in exchange for Arenado, but only if they got something else back in return as well. Maybe Ryan Helsley would make some sense to even that package, as Casas figures to have more value than Arenado right now, with four more years of cheap team control.

There is also the possibility of Devers staying at third and Arenado taking over at second or even first base. Even though Arenado is a generational talent at third, Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, has made it clear in recent interviews that Devers is the third baseman in Boston.

“Rafael Devers is our third baseman and we are really excited about that,” he recently told a Boston radio station.

Playing second would be a possibility for Arenado, who has dealt with shoulder issues from overuse in the past. Arenado turns 34 on April 16 and a position change could potentially help ensure the final three years of this contract are spent on the field.

If the Red Sox trade for Arenado, they will have to feel comfortable about who will man the rest of the infield. On paper, Devers, Story and Arenado would plug three of those holes with questions surrounding the fourth still in play.

So what does it all mean? It’s about reading the tea leaves right now. However, no matter if it’s Arenado or Bregman coming on board, a move means that a newly acquired right-handed-hitting All-Star is likely going to have to learn a new position in Boston while also salivating at the thought of hitting at the Green Monster 81 times a season.

Should the Red Sox move Devers off third? For the sake of continuity and optics around a franchise tentpole, it seems less likely of a positive in Boston for the 2025 campaign at least, no matter who else joins the team.