David Ortiz Helped Red Sox Through Offseason Drama Yardbarker

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 5:42 AM

david ortiz helped red sox through offseason drama yardbarker

The Boston Red Sox have had to manage a delicate situation with some of their best players during spring training, and it looks like they got some serious help from Big Papi. Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed on Wednesday that Rafael Devers will be the team's full-time designated hitter in 2025. While widely expected, the change is one that Devers resisted — both publicly and privately. Alex Bregman, an elite defensive third baseman who won a Gold Glove last year, signed a three-year, $120M contract with the Red Sox in the offseason. Devers, who has played third in Boston throughout his career, initially made it abundantly clear that he had no interest in becoming a DH. He eventually softened his stance and said he was willing to do whatever the team asked of him.

So what changed? While we can't say for sure, we do know that David Ortiz spent a lot of time with Devers during spring training. Would love to hear this conversation. Hall of Fame DH David Ortiz chatting with Rafael Devers on the way out to infield practice today. pic.twitter.com/pRrOWNf0zl Alex Bregman spent a year with the Boston Red Sox organization and it's hard not to like him.

Bregman is a guy who is a critical right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup and an elite defensive player at one of the most difficult positions on the field. If that was all, then Bregman would be great. But, that's not all. He showed right away that he is a leader in the clubhouse that the organization needed, especially with all of the young guys on the team. If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google. Once guys like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer were promoted, you couldn't go a game without seeing Bregman in their eyes giving advice and trying to help those around him.

It wasn't just the rookies. Bregman was like that with everyone. On Friday, Red Sox icon David Ortiz joined Joey Copponi and Scott Neville on the "ITM Podcast" to discuss a wide range of topics, including Bregman. He recounted a story that "put the cherry on top" for Bregman for him from Spring Training when the team was in the middle of the Rafael Devers third base drama. "One thing I love about him, he's a team player," Ortiz said to Joey Copponi and Scott Neville on the "ITM Podcast" on Friday. "I remember last year, when he first joined the team.

Even with all the controversy and all the talk going on with Raffy, I came to spring training and I was watching Alex trying to help Raffy out. He always had my respect but that put the cherry on top. What that showed me was, we are here to compete. To help this ballclub win. I want to get better. And everyone loves him around here."

The Boston Red Sox have one of the best sluggers in baseball in Rafael Devers. Devers was asked to move from third base to designated hitter in Spring Training and although there was some drama with that, he has arguably been the best designated hitter in the American League. Devers has appeared in a league-high 61 games and is slashing .286/.408/.515 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs, 47 walks, 16 doubles, and 37 runs scored. His 52 RBIs and 47 walks also are both leading the American League. When Triston Casas went down with his season-ending knee injury, the question popped up about Devers making another move to first base. The team approached him about a position change and then some more drama ensued.

Team legend and Hall of Famer David Ortiz weighed in on the situation on Monday in a video shared to social media by WEEI's Rob Bradford. "Devers is doing great," Ortiz said. "As we asked him to do, you know, moving from third base. I thought he was going to have a hard time moving to DH because as simple as you look, when you're not hitting, it's like you aren't doing anything. So, he had a rough start the first couple of weeks but then, he's killing it right now. You don't want to mess that up.

Casas went down. If I was him, I would've put myself available for anything, but that was me. The Rafael Devers trade was the most explosive moment of the Boston Red Sox's 2025 season, and it could take many more years to digest. Devers was meant to be the Red Sox's face of the franchise when he signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension before the 2023 campaign. Just two and a half years later, he was playing for the San Francisco Giants against the Red Sox, clubbing a home run off former teammate Brayan Bello. A lot of people took the Devers trade hard, but Red Sox legend David Ortiz stands out among that group.

Ortiz was vocal in the wake of the trade about his displeasure with the circumstances that led to the trade, particularly with how Devers handled things. If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google. Now that the dust has settled at the end of th season, Ortiz is still bothered by the fact that Devers isn't a Red Sox, but he wants it to be known that it's... In a shocking move, the Boston Red Sox traded All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants just hours after sweeping the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on Sunday. The move was especially surprising given that Devers was still under contract through 2033 and seemingly part of the Red Sox’s foreseeable future. The front office decided to part ways with the superstar slugger, however, after a dramatic offseason and first half of the 2025 campaign.

Try PFSN's FREE fantasy baseball trade analyzer to help you make the best decisions for your fantasy teams! After this stunning move, Boston legend David Ortiz appeared to criticize Devers and his ego for ruining his relationship with the team. “Players need to take this as an example, nobody is indispensable,” Ortiz said via Yancen Pujols. “You have to be available. That was the end of the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox. You need to be smart to understand the situation.

Your worst enemy is your ego.” It’s been nine years since David Ortiz played his final game, but he never stops thinking about what the Red Sox need to win. The Hall of Fame slugger remains – to borrow a phrase from this year’s squad – ‘tremendously locked in’ on the Red Sox state of affairs. Even as he hosted droves of superstar athletes, celebrities and fans at his 17th annual “Weekend with Papi” Celebrity Golf Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., this weekend, he couldn’t help but offer an... “(Alex) Bregman just went for the free agency, hopefully we can work something out for him,” Ortiz told the Herald over Zoom. “He did it all here.

He got really good leadership, he did what we were expecting from him. Even going through some injuries, he represented very well himself and this organization… Hopefully lock him in, because good players are always going to be good players.” “We know what we need. We probably need a couple more power hitters that give support to the lineup,” Ortiz continued. “Pitching-wise, we are looking really good… I think our front office is going to be on a mission this offseason, because like I said, we are not too far away from facing a World... We just need to try to stay healthy, add a couple of more pieces, and I think we will be good to go.”

Ortiz still says ‘We’ when referring to the Red Sox because he never really left. Less than a year after his last game, he signed a ‘forever’ contract to remain with the club in a multifaceted role that includes player mentor, special advisor, and ambassador. He makes regular appearances at spring training and Fenway Park throughout the seasons. Let’s talk about the situation brewing in Fort Myers, where the Boston Red Sox have stirred the pot in a big way. Rafael Devers, Boston’s long-time third baseman and offensive powerhouse, is facing a curveball he probably didn’t see coming. The team went out and landed Alex Bregman on a hefty three-year, $120 million deal, which means Devers suddenly has to answer some uncomfortable questions—like whether he’s still the guy at the hot corner.

Devers didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat when asked about shifting positions. At 28, with three All-Star nods and a reputation as one of baseball’s best young hitters, he’s earned the right to be a little territorial. But then comes David Ortiz—Big Papi himself—offering a little wisdom from someone who’s been through it all. And when Ortiz talks, players listen. Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Speaks Out on Devers: 'You Finally Took My Advice' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Rafael Devers trade, and the drama surrounding it, has been all the talk in the MLB world for the last few days.

Now, an MLB hall of famer and Boston Red Sox legend is speaking out. David Ortiz is respected as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and his relationship with Devers has been well publicized since the latter joined the Red Sox. After all, Devers and Ortiz are both natives of the Dominican Republic and were both superstars within the Red Sox organization. According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, this is what Ortiz had to say after Devers' press conference with the San Francisco Giants: "It's great that you finally took my advice. This game is about that, knowing what we can control and who makes the decisions.

Good luck with everything that comes next. I've always trusted you," Ortiz reportedly said.

David Ortiz Helped Red Sox Through Offseason Drama Yardbarker

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