Red Sox legend Martínez criticizes Ortiz over Devers relationship originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Bay Area has been able to capitalize on two star athletes’ souring relationships with their respective former teams.
A disgruntled Jimmy Butler got his wish granted and was moved to the Warriors at the NBA’s February 6 trade deadline after tensions increased between him and Miami Heat president Pat Riley. Meanwhile, the Giants were able to do the same with left-handed star slugger Rafael Devers, who had a fallout with the Red Sox over his role with the team.
But there also was speculation that Devers was a bad teammate and a bad influence in the Red Sox clubhouse, which quickly was shut down by Baseball Hall of Famer and former Red Sox star Pedro Martínez.
“I was shocked, just like everybody else,” Martínez said in a recent interview (h/t BR Walk-Off). “I was shocked, because if you try to sell to me, knowing Rafael Devers, that Rafi is a bad teammate, or he’s not a team player, you’re lying.
“You’re going to tell me he’s a bad influence in the clubhouse? He’s not. Does he want to play every single day? Yes, that’s probably why he was mad.”
Devers played third base for the first eight years of his MLB career before Boston moved him to DH this season to make way for Alex Bregman, whom the Red Sox signed to a three-year, $120 million free-agent contract this past offseason. But after Triston Casas sustained a ruptured left patellar tendon in early May, Devers was asked to play first base, which he declined.
Martínez also called out Red Sox icon David Ortiz for his recent remarks about Devers, in which “Big Papi” pointed to Devers’ ego as what led to the relationship with Boston tarnishing and judged Devers for his communication, or lack thereof, with him.
“The organization is always going to be there,” Ortiz reiterated in an interview with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal published on Monday. “Players come and go. As a player, sometimes you’ve got to put your ego aside and understand that once you get paid, you’ve got to find a way to do what you’re told.
“That’s a message for all young players who think they turn out to be bigger than the game. I’m not saying that Devers was like that. He’s humble. He’s a good kid. But sometimes when you’re young and immature, you (don’t realize that).”
Ortiz also told MLB insider Hector Gomez that Devers has “communication problems” and “almost never returned my messages.”
Martínez believes Big Papi should’ve kept those comments to himself and addressed Devers privately.
“Big Papi also made a mistake in spring training by speaking in front of the cameras about some of the things that he needed to tell Devers,” said Martinez. “And just like I said before, that should’ve been handled in-house. Big Papi should’ve gone out with Devers to talk about those things, not really openly speaking in the field, because the cameras are able to pick up everything that we say.”
“That was the first mistake from Big Papi. The other thing is I don’t like to hear those comments after things happen like that,” Martinez continued. “I would’ve loved for Big Papi to come over, grab Devers, go to a restaurant, go to his house, throw a barbecue, and talk to Devers in his house.”
Martínez was also critical of the way things played out publicly between Devers and the Red Sox.
“The thing got mishandled from the get-go,” Martínez said. “This should’ve been handled by baseball people, not front office people, not leaking it to the media, not having a back-and-forth between the media, and [manager] Alex [Cora], [president] Sam Kennedy and [chief baseball officer Craig] Breslow.”
The Giants officially introduced Devers on Tuesday, just a few hours before his San Francisco debut against the Cleveland Guardians. The blockbuster move included the Giants parting ways with left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, righty Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and low-level minor-league pitcher Jose Bello.
While the vibes were high in San Francisco, Martínez didn’t appreciate how the Red Sox handled their presser discussing the trade.
“The press conference that they held the other day didn’t help it at all because you hear the front office, Sam Kennedy, Breslow, and all those guys, talking about the situation,” Martínez said. “They talked about championships and stuff like that, but it’s not just the championships. It’s not what we have done, it’s understanding the human inside the uniform. That’s what nobody probably understands about Devers. How was he feeling when you were telling him dump your glove? Was he offended? Was he feeling funny about not being treated like somebody that could be worth a position in the infield?
“I think there was a lot of miscommunication, but it should’ve been handled by baseball people. People that have been there, that understand what it’s like to wear the uniform and at the same time be a human. I don’t think they did the best job at doing that.”
In a separate interview with “Talkin’ Baseball,” Martínez backed his feelings toward the trade and was saddened to think about how it potentially could impact Boston’s future.
A player’s reputation is everything, but the same applies to an organization and those running it.
“Everybody is looking around to see what’s going on with Boston, and we went from probably being the most I would say lovable team in the last 20 years to probably one of the teams that everybody’s going to be looking at in the future and saying, ‘If they treated Devers [or] Chris Sale that way, if they disrespected Jon Lester that way, free agents are going to be looking at Boston in a different way,’ ” Martínez said.
“That’s what I’m concerned [about], that the culture that we left — [Dustin] Pedroia, [David Ortiz], Manny [Ramirez], Jason [Varitek], all of those great players that went through the organization, is going to disappear. And people are going to start looking at Boston as a bad organization. An organization that doesn’t respect the players. And that I would hate to see, because we went from being one of the most popular teams in the last 25 years to probably being one of the most hated teams in all of baseball, and I don’t want to see that.”
When Martínez was asked about Breslow’s comments, in which he stated that he believes the Red Sox will have “won more than we would’ve otherwise” after trading Devers, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“No, I don’t [agree],” he said. “In baseball, there’s always one thing that’s going to keep you humble. If you don’t show me the numbers that say the team is going to be better without Devers and the new guys that [the Red Sox] are getting in the trade, then I don’t have a reason to believe that.”
Well, it’s clear which side Martínez stands on. And while he’ll forever be rooting for the Red Sox, he’s clearly upset with how they handled the stunning trade and the direction they’re going.
