I try not to be judgmental about things like the Devers situation. We don't know everything that's gone on, including what the nature of the Red Sox communication with him was. There is the outward appearance that they didn't communicate well with Devers during the Bregman negotiations, even though there is no way Devers should play 3B over Bregman. In the recent communications, did they ask Devers how he felt about playing 1B, or tell him they wanted him to.
That said, this is not a good look for Devers, especially to us Phillies fans who have seen Harper stay at 1B even though he probably would rather go back to the OF. There are many superstars over the years who have switched positions for the good of the tam--Betts, Ripken, A-Rod, Altuve, etc.
One might think that what the previous Sox regime did (letting Betts and Bogaerts go and supposedly telling Devers he would stay at 3B for 10 years, which seems like a silly thing to say to anyone let alone a mediocre defensive player) shouldn't matter. It does look worse when Mookie, a better player than Devers, has moved all over the place since he went to the Dodgers without a whimper.
I'm pretty sure Devers thinks he's better defensively than he really is (I wonder what Bohm, Castellanos, and Turner think of their own defensive abilities). And it's understandable that he feels jerked around being asked to change positions twice in three months. But it makes me more appreciative of the attitude of the Phillies players, especially Harper, who is leading by example. I am somewhat optimistic that Turner will willingly change positions when the time comes (I don't think it's now).
