It began with an injury. An unexpected gut punch that sends a ripple through the team and up to the front office. When a vital position suddenly opens up, it forces tough interaction, challenges promises, and—sometimes—tests how much a star is willing to bend for the team.
In the Red Sox, that ripple became something louder. Rafael Devers, Alex Cora, and Craig Breslow now identify themselves as going through a messy and public standoff—one that all began with an interaction related to moving across the diamond. However, what is really under fire is not just a roster move—it is what happens when internal approaches meet real-world tension.
Back in March, Alex Cora sat down and laid the base for what was assumed to be a player-first team. “You be as transparent as you want”, Cora said to Foul Territory. Then he added, “that bench over there, Cam, that is real, man. That bench over there, they are going to put the mic in front of you”. It was a vital endorsement of honesty, specifically, in the market where media scrutiny never takes a day off. However, now that same transparency has swung back around—and this time, it is not working in the team’s favor.
The moment Triston Casas experienced the season-ending injury, the force began to mount. The Red Sox needed a first baseman, and they targeted Devers. A simple ask? Not quite. Devers did not just decline—the star made sure everyone knew why. “Yeah. I do not feel that they were true to their word”, Devers said to reporters. “They told me that I was going to play this position – DH — and now they are going back on that”, he added. It was not just a refusal. It was a statement. Because, in the team where transparency was encouraged, the star was thought to be very, very transparent.
Alex Cora told us back in March that he encourages his players to be “as transparent as you want” to the media. pic.twitter.com/gOx59j0bgb
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 8, 2025
What hurts more for the front office is that Devers did not stop when it came to Breslow. He was not political. He went straight for the heart of the issue. “I am not certain what he has with me”, Devers said. “He played ball. I would like to think that he knows that a change to a position like that is not easy“, he added. Devers made it clear he felt blindsided—and it is tough not to see his reviews as a jab at Breslow’s credibility as a former star turned executive.
Now this is where it gets messier. Alex Cora, who has long been the bridge between stars and management, said publicly that he had not talked to Devers related to moving to first. However, Devers contradicted that and said that the interaction did happen, right after the Casas injury. Such a contradiction sheds light on Alex Cora’s credibility, too. Is Cora safeguarding the management? Is there a disconnect between him and Breslow? Either way, it is a bad look when two of the most visible stars are not on the same page.
Red Sox face a fork in the road
With internal options like Rafael Devers now off the table and stopgaps like Romy González and Abraham Toro manning first base, the team identifies itself going through the familiar question: Can a trade help them? The timing could not be worse, however, that is baseball. Triston Casas’ injury has exposed a depth issue. In addition, when internal trust is failing, sometimes the only outcome is to look outside. That is where the Cardinals and a specific $87.5 M slugger come into the picture.
Willson Contreras could not have been the first face circled on the team’s whiteboard; however, given the circumstances, Contreras just could be the most effective one. The 32-year-old star transitioning into a full-time first baseman for the Cardinals is heating up at the plate. The star is batting .386 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs over his last 16 games. In addition, he is part of the team in a soft rebuild and sis sitting on a contract that does not fit the team’s future. That spells scope for the Red Sox.
While he comes with an identical contract that runs through 2027, the Red Sox’s current trade behavior highlights that the team could be ready to absorb big dollars in exchange for quick effect. The management had their eyes on Nolan Arenado as a backup to Bregman this offseason. In addition, they have shown zero hesitation in pursuing headline moves when the window feels open. Add in the urgency after Casas’ injury, and a deal with the Cardinals is more like, necessity, not a luxury.
However, if this deal makes sense on paper, it will take more than just money to pull it off. The Red Sox would have to part ways with valuable prospects and major-league-ready talent, resources that could have been reserved for other splashier moves down the road. It is a gamble, no doubt. Yet if the team is serious related to salvaging 2025 without adding more team tension, giving Alex Cora a plug-and-play first baseman could be the most effective outcome to a very loud internal issue.
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The post Alex Cora’s Encouragement of “Transparency” Bites Back Red Sox Front Office Amid Devers-Breslow Cold War appeared first on EssentiallySports.
