Self Awareness

BY KEVIN KERNAN

You would think that when the Red Sox signed Rafael Devers to that $331.5 million contract back in January of 2023, it would have bought some team loyalty.

That wasn’t the case.

I’ve always said never underestimate how selfish ballplayers can be, it is part of what makes them ballplayers. At almost any time through the years I could walk up to almost any player at his locker and simply say, “Man, you’re getting screwed!’’

Their reaction, no matter the situation, was pretty standard.

“Tell me about it,’’ they would shoot back.

And then they would proceed to tell me about it.

Rafael Devers is simply the latest case. A little self-awareness would help here.

Of course, Chaim Bloom was in charge of baseball operations back then in Boston when Devers got the monster payday, so that explains a lot. I guess the Red Sox braintrust never broached the subject that if they ever acquired a better third baseman would Devers be willing to move to designated hitter, which may be best for the long haul for the Red Sox and for Devers as well; you know kind of like having David Ortiz the designated hitter.

It is a question that should have been asked if for no other reason than the Red Sox could gauge the selfishness of Devers at the time. At least Bloom is no longer around in Boston. In the recycling world of MLB he took his talents to St. Louis and the mediocre Cardinals.

A lot of ivory tower people in charge of major league teams don’t have a lot of common baseball sense. You see that every day. Amazing too that under new baseball boss Craig Breslow, a former pitcher, this wasn’t worked out before the Red Sox signed Bregman.

It happens all over in baseball. In fact, this week the Blue Jays came to a dead end in their negotiations to sign homegrown star Vlad Guerrero Jr. to a long-term deal. The people running the Blue Jays, team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, somehow keep their jobs even though the team keeps getting worse.

And it is not like they have any real connection to Vlad Jr. It was previous GM Alex Anthopoulos who signed Guerrero out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 16. Through the years the Blue Jays stupidly went to financial battle with Guerrero instead of locking him up to a long-term deal. Now he will be a free agent after the season. He will make $28.5 million this year after batting .323 last season with 30 home runs.

It’s funny how it all works out. I’m looking at the December 2021 issue of Baseball Digest and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the most prominent picture of the four young superstars on the cover. There’s also Juan Soto in his Nationals uniform, Fernando Tatis Jr. in his Padres uniform and Ronald Acuna Jr. in his Braves uniform. Anthopoulos jumped to the Braves and made sure he kept Acuna Jr. around, signing him to an eight-year deal in 2019. Soto and Tatis Jr. eventually wound up being teammates in San Diego and that didn’t work out. Soto spent a year with the Yankees to up his free agent ante and is now a Met for baseball life at that crazy amount, $765 million. Tatis Jr signed a 14-year deal worth $340 million with the Padres in February of 2021.

Vlad Jr. is the only one of the four without a long-term deal. Way to go, Blue Jays.

The irony in all of this is that Devers is still not doing any work at third base with the team because of a lingering shoulder issue.

Again, in the ivory tower world of baseball, there is not a lot of common baseball sense. The main mission for both Shapiro and Atkins should have been to sign Vlad Jr. to a long-term deal and they failed.

All that is welcome news for the Yankees, who will be looking for a power-hitting first baseman next season. Hello Vlad… if Hal Steinbrenner decides to spend the money – but that is a story for another day. The word is out too that Vlad Jr. would love to play for Boston. Now that would really be interesting.

For now, the story is what will the Red Sox do with third base. They signed Alex Bregman to that three-year $120 million contract last week and Bregman is by far the better third baseman than Devers. When Devers spoke Tuesday at Red Sox camp he made it clear he does not see himself moving to DH.

With technology taking over the game in so many ways, you would think that the Red Sox might have at least have sent Devers a text, of course, a face to face conversation with Devers before the Bregman deal was done might have been best.

Devers has been in Fort Myers for a while so all Breslow had to do was walk down to the clubhouse.

For his part, Bregman said he will play anywhere the Red Sox need him to play. Changing positions is part of growing up in Major League Baseball. Mike Trout is gladly moving over to right field for the Angels, leaving centerfield behind him for his good and the good of the team. Trout needs to stay on the field. He must re-evaluate all the things he is doing to prepare for a season because it has just been one problem after another for him.

The irony in all of this is that Devers is still not doing any work at third base with the team because of a lingering shoulder issue. Next week he is expected to join team workouts. Maybe he will see Bregman is the better third baseman and accept being DH.

It would have been a layup for Devers just to say, when asked about DH on Tuesday, “Yeah, I’m still not ready to play third so at this point in time, DH is where it is at for me. Whatever the team wants.’’

No, Devers, wanted to make it clear that no means no.

Asked by my friend Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, “How would you react if they asked you to DH, how would you feel about that?’’ Devers left no room for doubt and replied, “No.’’

He added, “I play third base.’’

There you have it. He did not say, “I will do what’s best for the team.’’

Besides all that, Devers is a bit chunky. So there is room for physical improvement here, too. And as one top talent evaluator told BallNine, “Devers sure is not the same weight he was when he signed that contract.’’

So true.

After Aaron Judge signed his big deal, he moved to whatever position the Yankees wanted him to play even though he was best suited for right field, Judge played center because that is where the team needed him.

No matter how this works out and it could easily work out where young second baseman Kristian Campbell will not cut it and Bregman will have to play second base, leaving third base wide open for Devers, the problem is Devers has painted himself into the selfish corner. That’s never a good place for a player to be. There will be a segment of Red Sox fans who back Devers and there will be a segment who will want Bregman at third base.

All players have pride and Alex Cora made it clear that Devers is a prideful player, but pride goes before a fall. Cora also said that the promises made to Devers were made by Bloom, who is no longer around.

We’ve all had jobs where the boss changed and you had to roll with the new boss. It’s called life.

Hall of Famer Jim Kaat weighed in on the subject. Kaat is perhaps the most common sense former player I know when it comes to baseball opinions. He’s been there and has seen everything as a pitcher plus he was one of the best broadcasters in the game. He admitted, “I’m sad about Raffy Devers. Loved watching him play. Always a smile … now to see him scowling is sad. Devers is a bit overweight, he’s not in the same class as Alex Bregman as a fielder and yet he says, ‘Third base is my position.’ What happened to ‘What’s best for the team?’

“Sparky Anderson asked Pete Rose to play a different position five times,’’ Kaat noted. “Pete is the only player to play 500 games at five different positions. He did it willingly. There are some great players in the Hall of Fame that became DH’s; Edgar Martinez, Paul Molitor and Eddie Murray and (Devers’) friend Big Papi. C’mon Raffy, we want to see that smile. As Tom Kelly used to tell the Twins, ‘We’re all in the same boat, everybody grab an oar, and everybody row in the same direction.’ ’’

Wise words.

And let me add that Kaat pitched to contact, so he has a better understanding than most of the value of defense at third base.

Devers has his money and he got that money for his ability to hit. Never forget that.

This is a classic situation that should have been nipped in the bud by the front office. Now the Red Sox and Devers are in a bad spot. Teammates are already taking sides and that is never a good thing. First baseman Triston Casas, who really should be worrying about his own position, said, he stands with Devers. He called Devers the best third baseman in the league. The situation will linger.

Yankee fans are happy that the Red Sox already have a major issue to deal with after signing Bregman. Red Sox fans are hoping this will all blow over.

Here is a tip for all ballplayers and it comes directly from the genius of the 1988 movie Bull Durham and Annie Savoy talking about her former boyfriend and future star pitcher Nuke LaLoosh: “The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self awareness.’’

Ain’t that the truth.