Devers said he spoke to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora a few weeks ago about his feelings and ultimately decided to follow their lead.

"I hope to shoulder all the responsibilities that come with it with pride and just lead this team," Crochet said.

Devers' initial protests aside, the Red Sox are a better team with Bregman at third. The 10-year veteran won his first American League Gold Glove last season and rates highly per defensive metrics such as Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average.