From The Arms Of Victory

Three days before I see the Red Sox for just the second time in twenty-five years (the first being last March), Craig Breslow has traded away generational talent Rafael Devers in return for what doesn’t seem like all that very much in comparison.

Media reports will suggest that this is because he wouldn’t consider returning to third base after Alex Bregman got hurt, after having become designated hitter upon Bregman’s signing, nor consider playing first base after Triston Casas then also got hurt. The phrase they will dutifully transcribe from the sources in the front office is that Devers “wouldn’t do what’s best for the team”.

As anyone could see just from watching the team this season (anyone, apparently, except for the Red Sox front office), what was best for the team clearly was Devers as designated hitter, where he’s been doing better at the plate with more consistency over time than he has in quite awhile.

This is about nothing more than Craig Breslow getting his feelings hurt because Devers disagreed on what was best for the team—and correctly at that which presumably is what got under Breslow’s skin—and I hope for the rest of his life that Breslow steps barefoot on at least ten Legos a day.

This is depressing, and so fucking demoralizing. Devers routinely is described by that phrase I used above—a generational talent—and your Chief Baseball Officer having his ego bruised simply is not sufficient justification for trading one away.

Addenda

1. “It was surprising Devers did not at some point say he would give first base a shot,” says Peter Abraham. “That would have obviously helped them.”

   It’s no secret that based on the last few years, I believe that Devers is some form of neurodivergent, which often means difficulty with transitions. (This spring and season start clinched this for me.) If neither he nor those around him have realized this, then no one knew what would make transitions easier.

   Instead, as often happens to people who you aren’t neurotypical, the front office instead simply labeled him difficult and petulant, and Breslow got his feelings hurt at the resistance to change.

   I suspect there’s likely a significant portion of the baseball population that is not neurotypical and doesn’t receive the support and accommodations that would make everything smoother both for them and their teams.

   No one will pursue this angle, because it’s easier (hello implicit bias) to call someone lazy and ungrateful and echo whatever narrative front office sources are “leaking” right now.

   Reports say that the Giants are referring to him as an infielder, which of course is the transition (back) that Deveres did not want to make with the Red Sox, but this doesn’t disprove my suspicion. He’s being traded, and that’s a pretty dramatic transition in itself that is unavoidable. When making one major transition it’s often easier even for the neurodivergent to make others at the same time.

   Anyway, my point is just this: be very wary of anything being reported as coming from inside sources that sounds like calling Devers difficult, petulant, lazy, or ungrateful.