Devers Just Forced The Red Sox To Pursue Anthony Rizzo

Let’s not dance around it—Rafael Devers is being a diva. A high-paid, lineup-clogging, glove-averse diva. The Red Sox asked him to do the team a solid and play first base after Triston Casas went down for the year. Seems like a reasonable ask, right? You’d think he was asked to fix the bullpen or pitch the ninth inning with the way he reacted.

Devers didn’t just decline. He dug in. “I don’t think it’s the best decision,” he said through a translator, adding that he’s only played the position for a couple of months in his life. Boo hoo. Welcome to baseball, where grown men switch positions when their team needs them—unless you’re Rafael Devers, apparently, in which case it’s everyone else’s problem.

Now, let’s be honest: Devers refusing to play first base is a bad look. But—ironically—it might be the best thing to happen to the Red Sox this month. Why? Because it’s forcing them to look outward. And that brings us to the most obvious, clean-cut, veteran solution on the market: Anthony Rizzo.

Think about it. Rizzo is a three-time All-Star, a Gold Glove first baseman, and a World Series champ. He’s not the hitter he once was, but he still brings a professional at-bat, plays smooth defense, and won’t throw a tantrum if you ask him to actually wear a glove. He’s exactly the kind of low-risk, high-character move the Red Sox should’ve been making all along.

Instead, they’ve been stuck in neutral—hoping Devers would put on his big-boy pants and help out in the infield. But no, Devers is too busy protecting his turf at third and loafing around as a designated hitter, while the team’s defense at first has all the range of a folding chair.

Luckily, Rizzo is out there, and he’s practically gift-wrapped for Boston. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo even floated the idea on Foul Territory, and honestly, it makes way too much sense. He’d bring leadership to a clubhouse that clearly needs it, and unlike Devers, he’d probably be grateful to have a glove in his hand again.

The Red Sox need to act. This is their chance to turn a locker room problem into a roster upgrade. Sign Rizzo, slot him in at first, and let Devers DH his way through the summer with whatever pride he thinks he’s protecting. At least that way, Boston gets a real first baseman and maybe, just maybe, sends a message to the rest of the team: you don’t get to pick and choose when you’re a team player.

So yeah, Rafael Devers might be pouting in the corner, but the Red Sox? They’ve got a path forward—and it looks a lot like Anthony Rizzo.

I wonder if the Sox will make that move.