According to Ken Rosenthal, signing Rafael Devers to a long-term extension was a direct result of the fan reaction to the Boston Red Sox failure to keep Mookie Betts.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal noted on Monday that the Red Sox entertaining a trade for a disgruntled Rafael Devers isn't 'far-fetched'.

“The Boston Red Sox were perfectly justified in asking Rafael Devers to vacate third base for Alex Bregman and become a designated hitter,” Rosenthal wrote for The Athletic. “They are far less justified in asking Devers to switch again, this time to first base, a position he has never played.”