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.

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.

Since making his Major League Baseball debut in the summer of 2017, Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers has been one of the most productive offensive third basemen in baseball.