The Red Sox need more from Rafael Devers, on the field and off

The Red Sox need more from Rafael Devers, on the field and off originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

When Alex Cora nominated Jarren Duran as the next generation’s potential leader, he tacitly acknowledged what we already knew — the job would never belong to Rafael Devers.

After eight years, it’s hardly a revelation. For all of Devers’ obvious ability, playing a leadership role simply isn’t on the list. There’s a reason Cora was still calling him a kid half a dozen years into his career, and it wasn’t ironically.

Devers yearns to be a supporting player, like he was alongside Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. His nickname, “Carita,” translates roughly to “baby face,” but fading into the woodwork simply isn’t realistic when you’re the highest-paid player in the history of the franchise.

On Tuesday night in New York, Devers once again illustrated what $313.5 million didn’t buy the Red Sox.

On the field against the Mets, the Sox dropped their fourth straight in a 7-2 defeat. They’re 9-18 over their last 27 games, falling to just a game over .500. The Tigers have caught them in the wild card race, and the only reason the Red Sox haven’t dropped hopelessly out of contention is because the Royals and Twins are losing at equally alarming rates – seven straight for Kansas City, and 10 of 15 for Minnesota.

Devers went 0 for 4, making him 1 for 21 on the road trip. With two on, no outs, and the Red Sox desperate for offense while trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Devers reached on a fielder’s choice to short hit so weakly, Gold Glover Francisco Lindor didn’t have a play anywhere. The Red Sox scored just one run and then the Mets blew it open.

Making matters worse is what happened after the game. Multiple reporters on site, including Christopher Smith of MassLive and Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe, painted the picture. First, Devers stared into his locker for a half hour in full uniform. Knowing the media wanted to speak to him, he instead kept them waiting for over an hour before leaving without comment.

That’s not how professionals conduct themselves, and it certainly isn’t kosher for a player making over $30 million a year.

“Who cares if he talks as long as he hits?” you might say, but he’s not hitting. And more to the point, it shouldn’t be left to Rob Refsnyder or Tyler O’Neill to address the state of the team.

Part of being a leader is assuming that responsibility to save your teammates the questions. David Ortiz, Bogaerts, Jon Lester — they all understood this. Devers does not, and at this point he probably never will.

But that’s only half the story. Far more concerning is that even in the midst of one of his best seasons, Devers is once again breaking down.

He has played through shoulder injuries since late April, and this isn’t the first time he’s been limited down the stretch. A sore shoulder made him grimace on every rip during the 2021 playoffs, a hamstring strain landed him on the injured list in 2022, and he dealt with a calf injury last year. He turns 28 in October and is unlikely to become more durable as he ages.

That’s a problem, because his 10-year extension technically only started this year. The Red Sox are on the hook through 2033 for a player who’s good for roughly 4.0 WAR annually. That’s good, but it’s by no means great, and that’s before contemplating a future in which he can no longer play third base and moves either to first or DH, thus disrupting the roster – not to mention the payroll.

Devers is shaping up to be a shaky investment, and not just because he’s an unwilling leader. But that doesn’t help.