No, Rafael Devers Would Not Be Good Cubs Fit

This really isn’t something that needs to be said, but I’ve seen some opinions out there to the contrary and wanted to address it in slightly longer form than a tweet. The relationship between Rafael Devers and the Red Sox has deteriorated in just the second season of his 10-year, $313.5 million extension, leading many to wonder whether the sides will look to part ways via trade.

Following an offseason kerfuffle that saw Devers bristle at moving from third base to accommodate Alex Bregman, the latest issue stems from his reluctance to play first base. Boston needs a replacement for Triston Casas, who suffered a season-ending patellar tendon rupture, and the team apparently approached Devers about moving from DH.

“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers told MassLive’s Christopher Smith through translator Daveson Perez. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove — that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position…

“They told me that they didn’t want to allow me to play any other position,” Devers said. “And now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player (to play first base). I’m not sure why they want me to be in between, the way they have me now.”

Devers and the Sox worked the third base stuff out, but this is feeling more and more like a situation that could result in at least one major change. Whether that’s Devers being shipped elsewhere or Craig Breslow having a very brief run as president of baseball operations, Boston’s roster and/or front office may not escape unscathed. Time will tell how that plays out, but I know for certain that the Cubs should not entertain for even the briefest moment a pursuit of the slugger.

Devers is absolutely right, the GM treat him like he’s a mess, maybe Alex Cora also has something to do with that. They suddenly moved him from 3B and told him he’d be a DH all the time. Now that he has to play 1B. He should ask for a trade. Attention @Cubs, he’d fit in at 3B…

— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) May 9, 2025

Their ongoing issues at the hot corner are probably better addressed by someone who isn’t literally the worst defensive third baseman in baseball since debuting in 2017. And we’re not talking about a toss-up here, as Devers’ -62 defensive runs saved and -29 outs above average have him lapping the competition in reverse. Devers might be the worst of all time, we just don’t have advanced metrics going back far enough to make an accurate comparison across eras.

That alone might not be enough to scare the Cubs away, especially when you’re talking about a perennial 25+ home run hitter, but the $29 million annual price tag is a huge red flag. They’ve never paid that much to anyone in free agency, let alone someone they’d have to trade for. Even if the Red Sox were willing to eat a good chunk, taking on the biggest contract in franchise history for a disgruntled third baseman/DH probably isn’t in the cards.

Less important than the annual cost is the fact that Devers is under control through his age-36 season in 2033. The Cubs still believe very much in Matt Shaw and have him locked up for nearly as long at what is currently around 36 times less per year. While there’s a point at which teams absolutely must pay a premium for additional production, Shaw being close to what the Cubs think he can be makes him a far better option.

The final obstacle here is that acquiring Devers this season would effectively remove the Cubs from any possibility of extending or re-signing Kyle Tucker. Opinions vary on their willingness or ability to do so in the first place, but a move for Devers at this point would be like punting on 2nd and short from their opponents’ 25-yard line.

This is really only a topic on social media and there wasn’t enough merit to dedicate several hundred words to it, I just had nothing better to do.

Ed. note: This is clearly meant to generate traffic for FanDuel, but it’s also indicative of a wildly inflated view of Devers’ value. While he’s always been a very good hitter, he’s basically just a DH at this point. Seiya Suzuki’s career 129 wRC+ is four points higher than Devers’ at a little more than half the cost and far less time commitment. I guarantee you the Cubs can find a number of better options than giving up two of their top four prospects and more for Devers.

Rafael Devers and the Red Sox are at odds.

The Cubs have a MAJOR hole at 3B.

Should Chicago & Boston link up on a MASSIVE trade for the 3x All-Star? 😳#BeHereForIt | #DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/FFDNJUjJ0f

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) May 9, 2025