Red Sox: Willson Contreras takes a jab at Rafael Devers

At last year's Red Sox camp, Rafael Devers' attitude became the big story. The third baseman, who had the big contract in his pocket, was told he was now going to be a designated hitter due to the arrival of Alex Bregman.

It didn't feel right, but he did it.

Then, when the club found itself decimated at first base, the Red Sox asked Devers to go, which he refused. You could sense the relationship was pretty shaky… and he was eventually exiled to San Francisco.

Why am I coming back to this today? Because Willson Contreras, at his first press briefing as a member of the Red Sox, was asked if he was open to returning to the catcher's position if the Red Sox asked him to.

His answer? He would, because he's not a guy with too big an ego who would refuse to go behind the plate because he was told he was a first baseman.

Willson Contreras on the possibility of possibly returning to catcher for the Red Sox in 2026: ‘I wouldn't say no, because I'm not that guy that has ego, and says, ‘Oh no, I got moved to first base, I'm not going to catch anymore. ‘ https://t.co/WjGZ2d9pgH

– Boston Herald (@bostonherald) January 14, 2026

Of course, under the circumstances, it's hard not to make the connection with Devers, who left Boston because of this ego. And to hear Contreras use those words, it doesn't seem insignificant.

At least, it's a safe bet that his response was no accident.

In reality, we don't expect to see Contreras behind the plate. He's far more useful at first base, and that's where we expect to see him play almost all his games this year.

That said, Contreras has obviously understood what Devers never did: for the good of the team, it's important to make sacrifices, especially as a highly-paid veteran. Hats off to Contreras, then.

This content was created with the help of AI.