It's over and done with. I get it but watching the lineup the Red Sox roll out there every night is infuriating. Yes, they have injuries. If Anthony, Abreu, and Mayer were with the team, they would definitely be better. Romy and Refsnyder have been good but they're not everyday players. Bregman, Rafaela, and Duran have been ice cold. Story has been their best hitter lately, but he is still consistently inconsistent. Yoshida, Lowe, Eaton, Sogard, Narvaez, and Wong might have a big hit here and there, but they are mostly bad.
The one thing we learned about Rafael Devers is that he does not react well to change. He was awful for the first month or so as a DH, then figured it out and became one of the best hitters in the league. Once he was traded, he spent another month adjusting to his new surroundings but has once again become one of the best hitters in baseball. Think that's an exaggeration? Here are Devers' splits with the Red Sox and Giants:
Red Sox
Mar/Apr: .225/.354/.433/.787, 5 HR, 19 RBI
May/Jun: .309/.439/.559/.998, 10 HR, 39 RBI
Giants
Jun/Jul: .219/.327/.365/.692, 4 HR, 15 RBI
Aug/Sep: .277/.386/.567/.953, 12 HR, 29 RBI
Here is how Devers' season numbers rank both in MLB and on the Red Sox
He is top 15 in a few categories in MLB but if he was still on the Red Sox, he would be leading the team in almost every offensive category, even given his two slump periods. If Anthony and Abreu had played entire seasons, they would be giving Devers a run for his money, but that of course didn't happen.
So, here's my point. Why the hell couldn't Craig Breslow read the room and leave well enough alone? He knew Devers reacted poorly to the move from 3B to DH. Why did he think asking him to move from DH to 1B would go any better? And the bigger question is this: Why did they insist that he move to 1B at all? So the great Masataka Yoshida could ride in on his white horse and take over DH? How's that working out for you? Breslow's horrible mismanagement of the situation created holes at both 1B and DH, and the Red Sox have really never recovered.
Rafael Devers went from one of the all-time Red Sox fan favorites to one of their most hated players overnight. It didn't have to be that way. Is he a prima donna? Probably, but he's also a really great hitter. Pro sports are chock full of great players that nobody likes due to selfishness, surliness, bad behavior, etc. Teams win championships for one reason and one reason only: they have great players.
Craig Breslow has gotten a pass this year because of Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and Aroldis Chapman. All great moves, no question. However, there is a sense that there is rot in the front office and clubhouse. He is terrible at the trade deadline. He doesn't get along with his players and reportedly, other executives. I'm sure Theo Epstein has bailed him out several times in negotiations with players and other teams. The Betts and Bogaerts situations aren't on him, but he has continued a pattern of shedding players and payroll. That is also an ownership problem and another story altogether.
This lineup is on him. He did nothing to improve the team over the course of the year, and injuries have decimated the offense. He couldn't figure out a way to shed albatross contracts, and ownership wouldn't let him add payroll. He must feel like he's stuck between a rock and a hard place, but that's the job, boyo. If the Red Sox get to the playoffs and do some damage it will be in spite of Breslow's efforts, not because of them.