Rafael Devers Shares Preference After Red Sox Sign Alex Bregman

By signing Alex Bregman, the Red Sox afforded themselves quite a bit of lineup flexibility.

Bregman starred at third base across nine seasons with the Houston Astros, but that hasn’t been an area of need for Boston for some time. Rafael Devers has had a stranglehold on the position since his first season with the Red Sox in 2017, and he hopes to stay put at the hot corner moving forward.

“Third base is my position,” Devers told reporters through a translator Monday, as seen on NESN. “It’s what I’ve played. I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation — I made it clear what my desires were. Whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow both committed to Devers as Boston’s third baseman earlier in the offseason. However, those remarks were made over a month before the Red Sox signed Bregman. And when the two-time World Series champion was formally introduced by Boston on Sunday, Cora didn’t commit to any certain defensive alignments.

It’s ultimately a good problem to have for the Red Sox, who can be more strategic with their starting nine on a game-by-game basis based on matchup. But Cora and company likely won’t lock in to any plans until players have logged a fair share of spring training work in Fort Myers, Fla.