Mlb David Ortiz Sends Wise Advice To Red Sox Management Rafael Devers

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 4:44 PM

mlb david ortiz sends wise advice to red sox management rafael devers

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. Loyalty, in Boston, used to mean more than just a long contract and a couple of good Octobers. These days, it seems even legends are weighing in as cornerstones crumble and allegiances shift like Fenway winds.

So when Rafael Devers walked out the door and the Red Sox front office played innocent, David Ortiz didn’t just watch quietly—he delivered a five-word verdict that sliced deeper than any trade clause. When any of the MLB legends speak, you listen and try and follow what they say. Not just because they are legends, but because they have been where you are and know what happens if you make a wrong decision. After the Devers trade broke out, everyone was in shock, but not Big Papi because he knew at some point this would happen. In a tweet by MLB insider Yancen Pujols talked about the Devers deal and shared his conversation with Ortiz about the deal. During the conversation, Ortiz said, “Players need to take this as an example, nobody is indispensable… You need to be smart to understand the situation.

Your worst enemy is your ego.” But this isn’t just aimed at the player. From Mookie Betts to Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox front office has been shedding stars like it’s spring cleaning. But this isn’t strategy—it’s self-sabotage dressed up as flexibility. Ortiz’s words may have been aimed at players, but the mirror swings both ways. Somewhere in all this cap-space calculus, Boston forgot what built its last banner: trust, not turnover. David Ortiz habla por primer vez sobre el cambio de Devers y aconseja que “el ego hay que dejarlo” y llama a tener “disponibilidad”.

@davidortiz está en Francia. David Ortiz “ego is the worst enemy of a player”. Contenido en YouTube. https://t.co/G0kKgeTaIT. Ya you know. pic.twitter.com/ydluZRIDDB

As the Boston Red Sox mull moving one left-handed slugger to the designated hitter position, they're thankful for the presence of another lefty who manned the role for well over a decade. David Ortiz is one of the greatest players in Red Sox history, and though he retired after the 2016 season, his presence is still felt throughout the organization. He's made yearly trips to spring training camp in Fort Myers, Fla. and this year, he arrived to a bigger controversy than usual. After the Red Sox signed two-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, incumbent star Rafael Devers was left wondering whether his position was in jeopardy. Only two years after signing a $313.5 million extension, Devers could find himself as a designated hitter when he was once promised the long-term third base gig.

During a recent appearance on the“Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, Ortiz offered insight into his conversations with Devers and his advice on how the 28-year-old slugger should frame his thinking around the Bregman signing. “At some point, it’s all about putting the ego aside,” Ortiz said. “I’m in his corner at all times, but I want him to understand that this organization is trying to build up good players around him, so he doesn’t have to take the pressure all... When Rafael Devers struggled to begin his first season as the Boston Red Sox's designated hitter, he was advised to speak with David Ortiz. Ortiz has seemingly endless wisdom to pass on to Devers, from the former face of the Red Sox franchise to the current one. He's advised Devers, a fellow Dominican native, throughout his big league career and supported him through his transition to DH during spring training.

Devers was recently asked to take up first base for the Red Sox after Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury, which he staunchly refused. The story of Devers' second contested position change blew up even further when Red Sox principal owner John Henry flew out to meet with him in Kansas City. Again, Ortiz has offered his perspective to Devers. "When you're the man in the team, when you're the guy the organization counts on, there are times when you have to take your ego and pack it away," Ortiz said in Spanish in... Ortiz made another comment about Devers' need to quell his ego for the betterment of the team after he initially refused to move to third base to accommodate Alex Bregman on the roster. He eventually accepted the move to DH, but the front office's request for him to pick up his glove again feels different and desperate after everything it said to get him to accept his...

Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz understands the situation Rafael Devers faces as the team gathers in Fort Myers, Florida, for spring training. Devers, the team’s starting third baseman for over seven seasons and a three-time All-Star, now finds himself in an unexpected position after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract. This move has sparked debate about Devers’ future role on the team. Initially, Devers was defiant when asked about the possibility of moving from third base. The 28-year-old made it clear he wasn’t open to giving up the hot corner, even before Bregman suited up for a spring training exhibition game. However, David Ortiz, who has been mentoring Devers, offered some straightforward advice.

“At some point, it’s all about putting the ego aside,” Ortiz told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “I’m in his corner at all times, but I want him to understand that this organization is trying to build up good players around him, so he doesn’t have to take the pressure all... Ortiz emphasized that the Red Sox’s decision to sign Bregman wasn’t a slight against Devers but rather a move to strengthen the team. “I don’t want (Devers) to feel like he was left alone,” Ortiz added. “Or I don’t want him to feel disappointed about the way the organization made the move because the organization would never try to hurt — especially a guy like Devers. Sometimes, there’s a situation that happens, and you have to move fast and go in that direction.

(Devers) said a year ago, we gotta get good players. I wanna win. And that’s what the organization is trying to do.” Rafael Devers with the Boston Red Sox. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) 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.” Someone is finally on Rafael Devers’ side after his refusal to play first base for the Red Sox. Boston legend David Ortiz has come to Devers’ defense after a season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas had the team and fans expecting the designated hitter Devers to step in and fill the... “He’s doing great as the DH.

They asked for it, and he’s doing great as the DH,” Ortiz told The Associated Press on Monday. “Once [the] Casas situation goes down … In people’s minds, it was: ‘Devers goes to first and [Masataka] Yoshida goes to DH and we are a better team’. Yeah, that’s what you put in your mind. But guess what? The kid was asked in spring training to just hit and now all of a sudden you want to switch him over. It takes time.”

Devers is in his ninth season with the Red Sox and signed a gargantuan 11-year, $331 million extension in early 2023. He played third base for much of his career but was asked to focus on hitting at the DH position after the team signed infielder Alex Bregman this offseason, stirring up some preseason melodrama. Ortiz spent 14 of his 20 MLB seasons with the Red Sox, won three World Series and made a Hall of Fame career playing DH while also playing first base over the years.

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@davidortiz Está En Francia. David Ortiz “ego Is The Worst

@davidortiz está en Francia. David Ortiz “ego is the worst enemy of a player”. Contenido en YouTube. https://t.co/G0kKgeTaIT. Ya you know. pic.twitter.com/ydluZRIDDB