Rafael Devers has no interest in ceding 3B to new Gold Glove Red Sox teammate Alex Bregman: 'Third base is my position'

This should be interesting.

The Boston Red Sox made a late free-agency splash by signing two-time All-Star Alex Bregman last week. The move makes the Red Sox better on both sides of the ball but leaves manager Alex Cora with some decisions to make.

Bregman plays third base, and the Red Sox already have an established third baseman in three-time All-Star Rafael Devers. Devers, an eight-year veteran in Boston, has no intention of ceding his position to the new guy. He made his feelings clear while speaking to reporters through an interpreter Monday.

Devers was then asked if he's open to moving to designated hitter. He didn't wait for his interpreter to translate before providing his answer.

"No," he said.

"I play third," he continued when asked to expand on his answer.

Devers was then asked whose decision it is to make.

"Like I said, my position is third base," he responded. "Whatever it is that they want to do is what they want to do, but I feel like my position is third base."

He then clarified that he told the Red Sox no when asked about serving as the designated hitter.

This could get awkward in the Red Sox clubhouse.

Bregman is the superior defender

The problem for Devers is that he's not a very good third baseman. In fact, he ranks among the worst third basemen in baseball in multiple advanced metrics, including outs above average (OAA) and fielding run value (FRV).

Bregman, by comparison, is one of the best third basemen in baseball. He won a Gold Glove at the position last season. If Cora wants Bregman at third, it's a no-brainer baseball decision.

But Devers is a veteran team leader and one of the better hitters in baseball. He's a two-time Silver Slugger who slashed .272/.354/.516 last season with 28 home runs and 83 RBI. His hitting prowess, obviously, has nothing to do with his ability to play third base. But his resistance to moving from the position is one more thing for Cora to consider when figuring out his lineup.

Alex Cora's take

Cora previously said he'd make the decision late in spring training, ahead of Boston's March 27 season opener at the Texas Rangers. On Monday, he suggested to reporters that Devers shouldn't expect the Red Sox to honor any promises about playing third base made by previous head of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who's now with the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Different people are here, right?" Cora said. "There's a different leader here. Chaim is in St. Louis right now."

'He feels like he's a third baseman'

Bregman has taken reps at second base since joining the Red Sox at their spring training site in Fort Myers, Florida, and Cora previously said he's confident that Bregman could succeed at second.

But Cora doesn't sound interested in conceding third base to Devers just because he wants to play there.

"The decisions that are going to be made here about roster construction and about what we’re going to do in the future, we’re going to make sure we have the best team possible out there,” Cora said. "[Devers] has a lot of pride. We know that.

"He feels like he’s a third baseman. He’s going to work out as a third baseman, and then we’re gonna make decisions accordingly. I think here it’s not about Bregman or Devers or Cora. It’s about the Red Sox. Whatever decision we make is for the benefit of the team.”