David Ortiz Gives His Verdict On Boston Red Sox S Dream Of Ending Thei

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 5:47 AM

david ortiz gives his verdict on boston red sox s dream of ending thei

The Boston Red Sox are absolutely hungry for postseason baseball. And when it comes to what that feels like, there’s no one who knows it better than Big Papi himself. David Ortiz didn’t just play in October—he owned it. The Hall of Fame-designated hitter made clutch moments a part of his DNA. His walk-offs? Legendary.

After three years of playoff disappointment, the Boston Red Sox are finally believing they have the roster to get back to October. But what’s even more encouraging? It looks like the moves the Red Sox have made to put themselves back in playoff contention have earned the seal of approval from none other than their former clutch hitter. In an interview with Tom Caron of NESN, Ortiz expressed his opinion as to why this is a different season for the Red Sox. When asked if he thought this team could make one more run in the playoffs, Ortiz wasted no time. “I think so,” said the Boston icon.

“I’ll tell you, I always believe in teams that have good pitching. When you have good pitching, you can slow down offense, and you don’t need a whole lot of offense to be able to win games.” Big Papi is a big believer in the 2025 Red Sox 🔥 “I think [the Red Sox are a playoff team]. I always believe in teams that have good pitching. … I think we’re back on track with the pitching that we have this year.” pic.twitter.com/GgptBlhsrj

One of the biggest storylines early in the season was the complete disconnect between Rafael Devers and the Red Sox. The situation was messy from start to finish, largely because Devers felt misled by the organization. “Devers, according to a person familiar with his thinking, felt 'lied to and betrayed' by the Red Sox. Cora, long one of Devers' chief supporters and advocates, supported his expulsion. Craig Breslow, the Red Sox's chief baseball officer whom Devers publicly badmouthed amid the hostility, played hatchet man,” MLB’s Jeff Passan wrote. As a result, Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

“The Red Sox had just pulled off a three-game sweep of the rival Yankees for their seventh win in the last eight games and were getting ready for a Sunday night West Coast trip... Star slugger Rafael Devers, the lone remaining player from the team’s most recent World Series title squad of 2018, was dealt to the Giants for righty Jordan Hicks, lefty Kyle Harrison and a pair... 4 prospect at the time of the deal) and righty Jose Bello,” MLB.com’s Ian Browne wrote. During an interview on the ITM Podcast, David Ortiz shared why Devers’ time in Boston came to an end. The Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a shocking twist on Sunday night. Devers created some drama by not willingly switching positions, yes, but Boston's front office had recently met with him to discuss any and all of his concerns.

After Sunday's game against the New York Yankees, Devers was adamant that he was ready to put this spectacle behind him. Apparently the Red Sox didn't feel the same way. Devers signed a 10-year contract extension in 2023. He was the face of the Red Sox franchise, and the last player remaining on the roster from their 2018 World Series team. At 28 years old, he will slide right into the San Francisco Giants lineup as their most capable hitter, and should be willing to play either DH or third base, depending on the night. For Buster Posey, this was a big swing.

For the Red Sox, it represents something else entirely – another end of an era. Boston has had to endure far too many such moves the last few seasons. For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop... Red Sox legend David Ortiz spoke out about the Devers trade on Monday, thus breaking his brief silence about the subject. Ortiz and Devers are close, with the end of Papi's career coinciding with the beginning of Devers'. Ortiz's message was simple, but you could tell there was some angst.

"In our country (Dominican Republic), there are a bunch of fans — which is fine — but they don't know anything about the business. Nobody here is operating on feelings," Ortiz said, per Sports Illustrated. "They ended up owing almost all of the Dominican media when [the Devers trade] happened. And now they're acting like it's all Boston this, Boston that. Learn how the business works, then give your opinion." It didn't take long for Roman Anthony to make an impact on the Boston Red Sox.

He caught the eye of many around the baseball world, including Red Sox legend David Ortiz. Boston made sure Anthony doesn't leave town anytime soon, signing him to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension. Ortiz is a fan of that decision and believes the outfielder will only continue to flourish, via Ian Browne of MLB.com. “He brought too much to the table for being 21. He has the talent, it's unquestionable. Plus he has the maturity,” Ortiz said.

“The Red Sox aren't famous on giving big deals to young players that early. I think it was a wonderful move to sign him right away so he just has to worry about coming to the field and being ready to whoop ass.” Starting with the negatives, Anthony saw his season end early due to a left oblique strain. He wasn't able to play during the postseason. However, he should have plenty of time to heal before spring training. Prior to his injury, Anthony hit .292 with eight home runs, 32 RBIs and four stolen bases.

He was third on the team in batting average and second in on-base percentage with a .396 mark. The only player he was behind was the traded Rafael Devers. The Boston Red Sox appeared as if they would finally use this winter to get back on track following two back-to-back finishes in the American League East. Ownership fired former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. The luxury tax was reset and there were plenty of marquee free agents on the board. When Craig Breslow supplanted Bloom, he talked about bringing in multiple starting pitching upgrades as well as an impact right-handed bat with positional versatility.

I don't even have to go over Red Sox part-owner Tom Werner's "full throttle" comment. Instead, Boston further entrenched itself into a years-long rebuild with no destination in sight. Hall of Famer and Red Sox legend David Ortiz did not use his advisory role to hype up those in power and pretend everything was all fine and well when asked about how the... "We've been rebuilding," Ortiz told Joey Copponi and I while appearing on the ITM Podcast. "I think organizations go through that at some point and sometimes it's hard for people to understand that's part of baseball. It is (about) how you get the young talent the opportunity to get very familiar with the major leagues so at some point their talent gets to be exploited and all of a sudden...

Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections. David Ortiz said he knew the situation between Rafael Devers and the Red Sox wasn’t going to end well. Devers, who began his career with playing third base for the Sox, initially bristled at the idea of switching to designated hitter. He made the switch and produced at the plate, but the Red Sox asked him to make another position switch to first base after Triston Casas went down with a season-ending injury. Hall of Famer David Ortiz works for the Boston Red Sox as a special assistant to the Fenway Sports Group.

But he said his opinion of the Rafael Devers trade is informed more by his 14 years as a player with the Red Sox than his current role with the club. “I played for the Red Sox a long time,” Ortiz said Monday. “You think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers? I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s— happens.

You need to have the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.” Ortiz, 49, experienced occasional turbulence in his contract negotiations with the Red Sox. Some of the squabbles went public, but he ultimately finished his career with the team. In 2017, one year after he retired, the Red Sox signed him to what they described as a “forever” contract, enabling him to play a variety of roles with the club. Devers, 28, did not resolve his problems with Boston’s front office. And on Sunday, the Red Sox made one of the most stunning baseball trades in recent memory, sending Devers to the San Francisco Giants for right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James...

Ortiz, a colleague of mine at Fox Sports, does not consider the Red Sox blameless in the breakdown of their relationship with their best hitter, a homegrown slugger who was in the second year... But after Devers’ initial resistance to becoming a DH and subsequent refusal to play first base, Ortiz said, “I knew it wasn’t going to end well. There was too much going on, you know?” Looking at David Ortiz in his final Major League Baseball season, one would have assumed he could have played a few more seasons. He had a year most MLB players would kill for. Although he was 40, the Boston Red Sox DH led the league in doubles, RBIs, and slugging percentage.

Recently, the Hall of Fame hopeful admitted he simply ran out of gas but also spoke about something else that concerned him had he pushed his career along another year. After Ortiz spent 20 years in the big leagues and retired in 2016, he finds himself on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. Big Papi spent the last 14 years of his illustrious career with the Red Sox, where he became a fan favorite. He also turned into a superstar. Boston signed Ortiz when the Minnesota Twins released him after the 2002 season. That year, he had his best season with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs.

David Ortiz Gives His Verdict On Boston Red Sox S Dream Of Ending Thei

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