The Boston Red Sox’s reason for removing Rafael Devers from their FanFest lineup is not what fans might expect.
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Devers has a last-minute scheduling difficulty that will keep him from attending this weekend’s “Fenway Fest.” Walker Buehler and Kutter Crawford were among the players originally set to speak in Boston, but as Cotillo writes, both were deleted from a revised list of guests on the Red Sox website on Friday.
Devers, 28, agreed to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox prior to last season. He plans to live in Boston until 2033. This offseason, however, there has been conjecture that the three-time All-Star will shift positions.
As the Red Sox have been linked to Gold Glove award-winning third basemen Alex Bregman (a free agent) and Nolan Arenado (who the Cardinals are attempting to deal), many have recommended that Devers shift away from the primary position he has played in Boston since his rookie year in 2017. What is the simple reason? Boston is one of the only clubs going active in their pursuit of Bregman and Arenado. Both are better third basemen than Devers.
With rumors swirling about Devers “being replaced” (at least on the field), the prospect of him missing Fenway Fest raised some eyebrows. However, Cotillo stated that the Dominican Republic native will not be in town with his colleagues for a lot less exciting reason.
