Latest / Foul Territory / Teammate reactions to Devers drama

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Teammate reactions to Devers drama · Foul Territory

0:00
Speaker 1: One of them said to just stop talking. I didn't
0:03
Speaker 1: hear that, but you know, somebody came to While Rafael
0:06
Speaker 1: Devers continue to answer questions.
0:10
Speaker 2: Mass Live Red Sox reporter Christopher Smith was in the
0:13
Speaker 2: clubhouse for the Rafael Devers comments, asking the questions at
0:17
Speaker 2: the top there. So, Chris, thanks for joining us. Appreciate
0:19
Speaker 2: the time you're on foul Territory. Give us the lowdown
0:22
Speaker 2: you were there, what was the tone, tempo, reaction, and
0:25
Speaker 2: of course your analysis on how this is playing out.
0:29
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you know, with with Rafael Devers, it's
0:33
Speaker 1: been strange the past couple of years. I mean, he
0:35
Speaker 1: hasn't talked to the media much. There was a situation
0:38
Speaker 1: in the clubhouse in New York when they played the
0:40
Speaker 1: Mets last year where you know, he stayed by his
0:43
Speaker 1: locker for an hour. He was told an hour before
0:47
Speaker 1: that we wanted to talk to him, and he sat
0:50
Speaker 1: there by his locker with his head down and everything,
0:53
Speaker 1: and then went and took a shower and then just
0:55
Speaker 1: refused to talk after instead of just telling us before,
0:58
Speaker 1: you know, I don't want to talk. So you know,
1:00
Speaker 1: he's he's But when he has spoken to the media,
1:04
Speaker 1: he's been pretty good, like open about things. You know
1:07
Speaker 1: that days back to spring spring training twenty twenty three,
1:11
Speaker 1: when he called out the ownership for not doing enough.
1:14
Speaker 1: You know, you go back to or that was spring
1:17
Speaker 1: training twenty four. You go to this spring training and
1:21
Speaker 1: just you know, refuses to play DH That's what he
1:25
Speaker 1: tells us when when you know we were there and
1:28
Speaker 1: we asked him, you know about the Bragman signing and
1:31
Speaker 1: what the Red Sox are asking. This is just like that,
1:34
Speaker 1: you know, just like what happened is spring training, you know,
1:37
Speaker 1: refusal to want to play first base. He feels that
1:41
Speaker 1: the team you know, was not clear to him, did
1:44
Speaker 1: not stand by their word. Let's be clear. Like you know,
1:47
Speaker 1: when the Red Sox signed into this ten year extension,
1:51
Speaker 1: this was Time Bloom that was back in that day
1:54
Speaker 1: that signed him to that contract, but it was also
1:56
Speaker 1: the owners involved, and it was you know, Alex Core
1:59
Speaker 1: and everybody, and you know, they promised him he'd be
2:03
Speaker 1: the long term third baseman and you know they changed
2:06
Speaker 1: them and that was there too, and all all off season,
2:09
Speaker 1: you know, while the Bragman rumors are coming and you
2:12
Speaker 1: know they were telling him, they're communicating to him that
2:15
Speaker 1: he was the third baseman, and so that's why he was,
2:18
Speaker 1: you know, like he felt they went back on their word.
2:20
Speaker 1: And I think that, you know, when you ask him
2:23
Speaker 1: to be the DH he finally settles into it and everything.
2:26
Speaker 1: And now you're asking him, you know, a month in
2:28
Speaker 1: the season, can you try to play? Can you try
2:32
Speaker 1: to play first base? Then all of a sudden, you know,
2:37
Speaker 1: he's feeling like they're going back on their word again.
2:39
Speaker 1: He's going to be frustrated. Ultimately, I think it might have.
2:42
Speaker 1: I think he might change his mind again, like he did.
2:45
Speaker 1: It's spring training and you know, just acquiesce and you know,
2:48
Speaker 1: do what the team asked him to do.
2:51
Speaker 3: Is this before we get into who exactly the communication
2:54
Speaker 3: issue is with? Does this make Does this make Raffie
2:57
Speaker 3: Devers unrelatable to the blue collar fan that I think
3:02
Speaker 3: the Red Sox fans are because they really wanted to
3:05
Speaker 3: keep Mooky Betts around and Mookie Betts is out in
3:09
Speaker 3: LA saying well, I want to go glove and right field,
3:11
Speaker 3: but I'll move to shortstop so we can make our
3:13
Speaker 3: team better. Does this make the franchise cornerstone Raffie Devers
3:18
Speaker 3: unrelatable to the fans in Boston.
3:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it does because you know, I mean,
3:25
Speaker 1: if you're you know, there's no one, there's not many
3:27
Speaker 1: fans in Boston making three hundred billion dollars, and you know,
3:31
Speaker 1: like you cannot understand, you know, the fact that you know,
3:36
Speaker 1: whatever job you're doing, usually when you're asked to change
3:39
Speaker 1: or do something else, you have to say yes. And
3:42
Speaker 1: you know it's you know, so there's a team aspect
3:46
Speaker 1: to it too. I mean there's a team aspect of
3:48
Speaker 1: you know, he's not being a good teammate, you know,
3:51
Speaker 1: and I know that there's players that are frustrated in
3:53
Speaker 1: the clubhouse. There was players listening in yesterday as we
3:56
Speaker 1: were asking questions, and they were frustrated him. So yes,
4:02
Speaker 1: you know, I just I go back to you know,
4:06
Speaker 1: you know, uh, there was a long time ago that
4:08
Speaker 1: Rafael Devers didn't have this much money and if you
4:10
Speaker 1: ask him, you know, at the beginning of his career
4:13
Speaker 1: to switch over to first base, he would have done it.
4:15
Speaker 1: So yes, it's very unrelatable, and you know, I just
4:19
Speaker 1: I can't get the concept of, well, you know, they're
4:22
Speaker 1: asking you to do a couple of things, like you know,
4:24
Speaker 1: they asked you to be the d H. Well, now
4:25
Speaker 1: they're asking you to be first first base. It's not
4:28
Speaker 1: like they've changed their minds all of a sudden. A
4:30
Speaker 1: month into the season, there was a major injury Tristan
4:33
Speaker 1: Kassa's you know, Casas ruptured his Betel attendant, and so
4:38
Speaker 1: you know that's the situation. So to not you know,
4:41
Speaker 1: even be flexible and say, you know, I'll think about
4:43
Speaker 1: it or I'll try to take some ground balls there,
4:45
Speaker 1: it's very unrelatable, I think, not only to the fans there,
4:49
Speaker 1: but also to his teammates, who you know, want to
4:52
Speaker 1: win and they need a first basement and there's no
4:54
Speaker 1: one in the Red Sox minor league system right now
4:57
Speaker 1: who could come up and play first base. I mean
4:59
Speaker 1: their Triple A you know, they have journeyman Triple A
5:02
Speaker 1: guys playing first base right now.
5:06
Speaker 4: So you say players, other players are frustrated, as we
5:09
Speaker 4: saw Gabrielle Star make a comment about how some players
5:12
Speaker 4: you know, I guess, you know, paraphrasing voice versus in
5:16
Speaker 4: their opinions or kind of look like they were upset
5:19
Speaker 4: about it. I don't know. To me as an ex ballplayer,
5:22
Speaker 4: I don't I don't know. I'm trying to word this
5:26
Speaker 4: the right way. I don't I don't know if frush
5:28
Speaker 4: what were they like talking behind his back? Where they snarling?
5:32
Speaker 4: Like how do you see them being frustrated over the
5:34
Speaker 4: comments that he said? Without calling anybody out, I don't
5:38
Speaker 4: need names. I'm just saying, like, if someone's going to
5:40
Speaker 4: make a comment like that, there, you know that that's
5:42
Speaker 4: a that's a tough comment to make. That could have
5:45
Speaker 4: some a lot of dissension in the clubhouse, and now
5:47
Speaker 4: dissension towards you and another reporter as well.
5:49
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, So I was focused on what Rafael was saying,
5:54
Speaker 1: and so I wasn't listening in on what they were doing,
5:58
Speaker 1: what they were saying and doing. One report told me, though,
6:00
Speaker 1: that one of them said to just stop talking. I
6:04
Speaker 1: didn't hear that, but you know, somebody came, you know,
6:08
Speaker 1: somebody while Raphael Devers continue to answer questions, somebody just said,
6:12
Speaker 1: just stop talking. We've also at mass Live learned that
6:16
Speaker 1: a couple of players were veteran players, players that have
6:19
Speaker 1: been around the league a long time, were not happy
6:22
Speaker 1: with the situation. Uh and you know, with with his
6:26
Speaker 1: inflexibility and also the way that he brought it out publicly.
6:29
Speaker 1: So you know, that's you know, it wasn't just and
6:35
Speaker 1: as I said, I didn't hear that player directly. That's
6:38
Speaker 1: what I was told and a couple of reporters were
6:40
Speaker 1: talking about it. But yeah, we also heard of mass
6:44
Speaker 1: there was there's players that uh, you know, weren't weren't
6:48
Speaker 1: happy about it.
6:51
Speaker 3: Is Rocky Devers held to a different standard in that
6:54
Speaker 3: in that clubhouse because he's a superstar, not just by
6:58
Speaker 3: Alex Korra, but by his teammates before this this instance.
7:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, it's interesting with Raphael. He does not
7:11
Speaker 1: want to be the face of the franchise. That's what
7:13
Speaker 1: he said to Alex kore before. He wants to go
7:16
Speaker 1: out and hit before this year field and do his thing.
7:21
Speaker 1: And it's not like he ever asked to be a leader.
7:24
Speaker 1: That's just not his personality. And you know, one of
7:28
Speaker 1: the reporters said to me, like, you know, I mean,
7:31
Speaker 1: he's he hasn't been easy with the reporters. But one
7:34
Speaker 1: of the reporters are saying to me in spring training, like,
7:36
Speaker 1: you know, he'd be a cool teammate. You would think,
7:40
Speaker 1: you know, just the way he goes around and everything.
7:42
Speaker 1: But you know, this type of stuff is not good,
7:46
Speaker 1: and it there's a divide. I mean, players asked to
7:50
Speaker 1: change positions all the time. I tweeted out today that
7:53
Speaker 1: you know, Miguel Cabrera went from first base to third
7:57
Speaker 1: you know, from left field the second you know, I
7:59
Speaker 1: mean he went the outfield, the first base or the
8:01
Speaker 1: outfield a third base, to first base, to the third
8:04
Speaker 1: base again and then back to first base, you know,
8:06
Speaker 1: depending on teams, knees. And he's a Hall of Famer.
8:09
Speaker 1: I mean, like you know, listen Roe Fayeldevers is making
8:13
Speaker 1: the most money of anybody in this organization behind besides
8:16
Speaker 1: you know, the owner John Henry and the you know,
8:18
Speaker 1: the chairman, Tom Warner, you know, the guys that are
8:23
Speaker 1: writing his paychecks. And you know, so there's a sense
8:27
Speaker 1: there there that you know, I think that he feels disrespected.
8:31
Speaker 1: And I think that, you know, because of this situation,
8:34
Speaker 1: because of of what happened in spring training, that they
8:37
Speaker 1: didn't communicate him to him well, and you know, they're
8:40
Speaker 1: basically saying, you're not a good enough third baseman. You
8:43
Speaker 1: have to go you know, you're not a good field
8:45
Speaker 1: that we had to go out and get somebody else.
8:46
Speaker 1: It's that type of thing. So you know, I think
8:50
Speaker 1: he feels disrespected. Uh and you know, but ultimately he
8:55
Speaker 1: wanted to play the field, right like, so go play
8:58
Speaker 1: the field, like try first base.
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10:04
Speaker 2: fall into play here. Do you feel like there's a
10:06
Speaker 2: fractured relationship between him endeavors and as the manager, Why
10:11
Speaker 2: couldn't he just sit down with Rafi and say, hey,
10:17
Speaker 2: you're playing first, right? I mean technically as a paid
10:21
Speaker 2: member of a team. If he says you are written
10:24
Speaker 2: in the lineup at first base and he doesn't do it,
10:26
Speaker 2: I mean obviously that leads to really suspension. Sit the guy.
10:29
Speaker 2: It's been done before, It's happened. If you look it's
10:31
Speaker 2: nothing recent. But if you look back, there's guys that
10:33
Speaker 2: have been forced to play positions that they haven't been
10:35
Speaker 2: happy about. And I don't even know if it would
10:37
Speaker 2: have gotten to that point. But I'm curious about the
10:39
Speaker 2: relationship and the communication process and why Alex has been
10:43
Speaker 2: pretty short in his commentary so far about him not
10:46
Speaker 2: playing first, Like isn't it doesn't sound like he's protecting
10:50
Speaker 2: the player necessarily because I feel like there's some dissension
10:53
Speaker 2: going on. But you're there every day, and I know
10:55
Speaker 2: Core is going to address it again soon, but what
10:57
Speaker 2: do you think?
10:59
Speaker 1: I think that's important question today is like why was
11:03
Speaker 1: you know, when I asked the question to Rapael, he
11:07
Speaker 1: said we had a conversation. So I was asking who
11:09
Speaker 1: he is and I said to Raphael, I said, I'm
11:12
Speaker 1: assuming that means Alex and Craig Breslow. And you know,
11:17
Speaker 1: so I would assume that it meant Alex like that
11:21
Speaker 1: it meant Alex Cora would be part of that conversation.
11:24
Speaker 1: I mean, he's the manager of the team. He's you know,
11:27
Speaker 1: like the communicator in the clubhouse and everything, and and
11:31
Speaker 1: that's what he's known for is is great communication with
11:34
Speaker 1: players and his ability to sit down with them and
11:37
Speaker 1: help them understand situations. However, this was just a conversation
11:41
Speaker 1: that he had with Craig Breslow. Craig Breslow went up
11:44
Speaker 1: to So that's the question I asked Alex right now,
11:46
Speaker 1: is like why, like what why was he not involved
11:51
Speaker 1: in that as well? And you know, I I don't understand.
11:55
Speaker 1: I don't know at this point, but you know, there's
11:59
Speaker 1: there's interesting things that you know Alex has said earlier
12:05
Speaker 1: in the year when you know, everybody assumed that that
12:08
Speaker 1: Devers would be playing, you know, h third base occasionally
12:13
Speaker 1: if if Alex Bregman needed a day off or they
12:16
Speaker 1: needed a third baseman for some reason. Like but during
12:20
Speaker 1: the first work trip, Alex cor came out and said,
12:23
Speaker 1: He's not playing third base at all this year. He's
12:25
Speaker 1: not going to put he is not going to play
12:28
Speaker 1: one inning at at third base. And so that was
12:30
Speaker 1: kind of surprising because you know, like I just assumed
12:33
Speaker 1: that he would play as you know, if they needed
12:36
Speaker 1: him there or they needed somebody else to be the
12:38
Speaker 1: d H or something for a day because of help
12:40
Speaker 1: that you know that he could slide in there. And
12:43
Speaker 1: I think that you know, one thing that Alex Corp
12:46
Speaker 1: said at that point was, you know, he was talking
12:49
Speaker 1: about Team Puerto Rico and when he, you know, was
12:52
Speaker 1: the general manager of Team Puerto Rico. And and how
12:56
Speaker 1: I believe I'm gonna I might be I might be
13:00
Speaker 1: about which player he asked to do this, but like
13:02
Speaker 1: I think he said, Carlos Korea was asked to play
13:05
Speaker 1: out of position third base and they did not want
13:09
Speaker 1: After they asked him to do that and he committed
13:11
Speaker 1: to it, they did not want him to go back
13:13
Speaker 1: and play shortstop at all. And so, you know, so
13:18
Speaker 1: I don't know if Rafael was so mad that he said, like,
13:22
Speaker 1: you know, initially, like if you're not going to play
13:25
Speaker 1: me at third base, then I'm just going to dh
13:27
Speaker 1: I'm not going to go in the field or whatnot.
13:29
Speaker 1: That's a question that should be asked. But overall, it's
13:34
Speaker 1: strange that the communication has not been there because you know,
13:38
Speaker 1: Alex is known to be a really good communicator, and
13:41
Speaker 1: I'm sure he's been working on this situation. And obviously
13:44
Speaker 1: there's great tension right now between Devers and Craig Brezl.
13:48
Speaker 1: I mean, I asked it, as I said, I asked
13:49
Speaker 1: him at Breslo. He didn't even say Brezel's name. He
13:52
Speaker 1: said the GM, and you know he was he really
13:56
Speaker 1: had some harsh things to say about Craig Brezl. That's
13:58
Speaker 1: not even Craig Brezelo's you know, Craig Prezl is the
14:02
Speaker 1: the chief Baseball Officer to just call him the GM
14:05
Speaker 1: and and you know say like I don't you know,
14:08
Speaker 1: I don't know what he wants from me and stuff
14:10
Speaker 1: like that, Like you know, there's there's obviously tension there
14:13
Speaker 1: so Alex needs to be somebody that mediates it and
14:17
Speaker 1: gets in there.
14:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't think Raffie knows Craig Breslo's name, let
14:22
Speaker 3: alone his title. So I think that's that's probably where
14:26
Speaker 3: he said just the GM, like I would just call
14:29
Speaker 3: you the reporter. But yes, my last question, and I
14:32
Speaker 3: have one comment about what I see on your wall,
14:35
Speaker 3: But my last question is is there a power struggle
14:38
Speaker 3: for Alex Cora Because you heard there's a little dissension
14:41
Speaker 3: with hein Bloom and him, you know, a little I
14:45
Speaker 3: didn't agree. And now it's a new GM, not GM
14:50
Speaker 3: President of Baseball Operations that came in. Is there a
14:53
Speaker 3: power struggle because he brings up I've heard him in
14:56
Speaker 3: several interviews bringing up BO when I was the general
14:58
Speaker 3: manager for what you say, the Puerto Rican team. So
15:02
Speaker 3: is there a power struggle with Alex as manager within
15:05
Speaker 3: the organization?
15:07
Speaker 1: Well, Alex initially brought up that he was interested in
15:11
Speaker 1: the GM job when they fired hind Bloom, like he
15:14
Speaker 1: mentioned it. I think at least within a couple of
15:17
Speaker 1: days after the firing. It might have been that day.
15:20
Speaker 1: And so yeah, so it's interesting that you know, like
15:24
Speaker 1: and then during that final road trip of twenty twenty three.
15:29
Speaker 1: I was trying to remember where it was. I think
15:32
Speaker 1: it was in Toronto. And I asked him specifically, I say,
15:34
Speaker 1: you're still interested, and it had all changed in those
15:38
Speaker 1: you know, three weeks. He said, no, I don't think
15:39
Speaker 1: I'm ready. YadA, YadA, YadA, And you know, he was
15:44
Speaker 1: done with that potential, you know, being the GM. There's
15:48
Speaker 1: there's been some thoughts before that, you know, even before that,
15:52
Speaker 1: that Alex would want to slide into the GM role eventually.
15:56
Speaker 1: It's not like he set many times. He doesn't like
15:59
Speaker 1: want to manage for us. He doesn't want to be
16:01
Speaker 1: you know, Terry Francona, you know, and so he has
16:06
Speaker 1: his eyes on other things in life, and he has
16:08
Speaker 1: a young family and so but you know, he the
16:13
Speaker 1: manager was pretty much kind of forced upon Craig Breslo,
16:16
Speaker 1: right Like, usually when you're a new GM or a
16:20
Speaker 1: new Chief Baseball officer, you pick your own manager, and
16:25
Speaker 1: Craig was not allowed to do that. And I know
16:27
Speaker 1: that Alex has a really good relationship with John Henry
16:30
Speaker 1: and ownership, and so I'm sure that they were in
16:33
Speaker 1: favor of keeping him and told you know, Craig Breslo
16:37
Speaker 1: that they wanted him as the manager now. Craig also
16:41
Speaker 1: had the ability, though, like to just play out the
16:45
Speaker 1: year last year too and see how their relationship came together.
16:50
Speaker 1: And apparently their relationship came together. I mean, the ownership
16:54
Speaker 1: wasn't holding him to it, like you have to have
16:57
Speaker 1: Alex core as your manager forever. As long as you're
16:59
Speaker 1: in the position, he's your manager. You know, they were
17:03
Speaker 1: going to let Craig Bresla make a decision on manager,
17:08
Speaker 1: you know, in Craig gave them the extensions, so they
17:11
Speaker 1: have to have somewhat of a good relationship, you know,
17:14
Speaker 1: and you know, so I don't know. I mean I
17:19
Speaker 1: think that that there's it's weird that they that they
17:23
Speaker 1: both didn't con that they both didn't approach Deever's on
17:26
Speaker 1: this situation. It's something that obviously needs to to, you know,
17:30
Speaker 1: be asked.
17:30
Speaker 3: Today, Christopher, last thing just to comment from me next
17:35
Speaker 3: time you come on, and it was the first time
17:37
Speaker 3: on FT, I need you to take that ticket down
17:40
Speaker 3: from behind your left shoulder because I grew up a
17:43
Speaker 3: Phillies fan. In a ninety three World Series ticket that
17:47
Speaker 3: you're looking at. It just says National League champion again
17:51
Speaker 3: versus the Toronto Blue Jays. It hurts my feelings because
17:55
Speaker 3: they lost that we were I was thirteen years old
17:57
Speaker 3: when that happened, and they don't even have the Phillies
18:00
Speaker 3: on it. So next time, I need that taken down
18:03
Speaker 3: before you come on.
18:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, usually like every time, and I've gone to
18:08
Speaker 1: every ballpark actually now I've been to I've covered a
18:10
Speaker 1: game in every ballpark but Pittsburgh. It's just hasn't worked out,
18:13
Speaker 1: you know, And hopefully next year I'll cover a game there.
18:16
Speaker 1: But I try to get a souvenir or something for
18:20
Speaker 1: my office from every every place that that you know,
18:23
Speaker 1: I go to. And I looked at that in the
18:26
Speaker 1: in the Toronto you know, team store, and I was like, wow,
18:29
Speaker 1: that looks that looks shop. So sorry about that, but
18:32
Speaker 1: it does look kind of shop, doesn't it.
18:35
Speaker 3: I do like it.
18:36
Speaker 1: I do like it.
18:36
Speaker 2: Look it's nice. Well, Chris, this was great, really great insight.
18:41
Speaker 2: Enjoyed having you on here. Thanks for the time, and
18:44
Speaker 2: the saga continues. Have fun pressure later.
18:49
Speaker 1: Thanks thanks for having me