Red Sox newcomer Alex Bregman addresses Rafael Devers-3B issue: 'I'll play wherever'

The Boston Red Sox gave star third baseman Alex Bregman a three-year, $120 million deal to play the hot corner … right?

Well, not if preexisting Red Sox third baseman and three-time All-Star Rafael Devers has anything to say about it.

Devers recently made it clear that he views third base as his position. First baseman Triston Casas also gave Devers a vote of confidence at third base, saying that "Bregman should play second."

But none of this talk bothers Bregman.

"We've been having a lot of fun," Bregman said Tuesday when asked about getting to know Devers at spring training. "We've been taking ground balls back here, during our work together. Talking about winning. Talking about baseball. Talking about being excited for the season. Last night we all got together and had dinner. It's great. …

"I'm super excited to just be his teammate. He's a great player. I think everybody in this clubhouse is worried about winning, and whatever it takes to help the team win — that's all I'm focused on. I'll play wherever [manager Alex Cora] tells me to play."

The initial thought was that Bregman, a Gold Glover, would start at third for Boston, with Devers — who posted -9 DRS at third base last season and has never finished a regular season with a plus-DRS — moving to first base. 

Bregman has overwhelmingly played third base throughout his nine-year MLB career, having made 977 career starts at the hot corner, 107 starts at shortstop and just two starts at second base. Last season, Bregman posted 6 DRS and an American League-best total zone of 12 at third base, after posting 5 DRS in 2023.

Unless shortstop Trevor Story, who hasn't played 100 regular-season games in each of his three years with the Red Sox, misses extensive time due to