*Well, now what?
Now that Rafael Devers, for the second time in the last three months, has told the Red Sox “Thanks, but no thanks,” to a request for a position change, where do the parties go from here?
Friday’s sitdown between John Henry and Devers, with Alex Cora acting as go-between and occasional translator, seems to have brought the temperature down at least somewhat.
In a best-case scenario for the Red Sox, following a period of detente, Devers may at least contemplate giving first base a try — just as happened following the last showdown.
But there’s a key difference this time around. In February, the Red Sox were moving Devers off his familiar position and asking to solely hit. That resulted in an adjustment and learning a new routine, yes, but there was no possibility of Devers embarrassing himself as a DH.
That’s no longer the case as the Red Sox ask him to learn an entirely new position. There exists at least the potential for Devers to flub chances and not dig out throws and cost his team games. And even if that doesn’t happen, Devers could fear it might.
Almost apart from the matter of where Devers will play is the need to rebuild trust with the team. Twice, Devers has accused the Sox of going back on their word. Clearly, improved communication is needed to repair the rift.
In the meantime, the guess here is that, eventually, Cora will convince Devers to give the position a try. The challenge will for the team to remain in contention until then, a path made more difficult by Romy Gonzalez going on the IL and taking away one more option at first.
Don’t expect a trade. The Red Sox would have very little leverage and would likely need to take back a significant chunk of salary remaining in order to get anything close to fair value.
Worst case? Devers digs in his heels, Craig Breslow is forced to sacrifice some prospects to make a trade, and the resentment grows between the two sides, with eight more years (after this one) still remaining on a very strained marriage.
*We have no idea what was said behind closed doors, but Red Sox fans should see Henry’s trip to Kansas City Friday as a positive development. The very fact that Henry cared enough to suggest the trek in the first place is a sign of his engagement, which, let’s face it, evidence of which has been lacking in recent seasons.
*It’s one thing to stick to your principles, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla too often seems unnaturally stubborn. Mazzulla can’t bring himself to acknowledge that a particular coaching strategy — like firing up threes from the North End — isn’t working and appears more interested in sparring with the media than he is on making adjustments.
*The Bruins sure are taking their sweet old time with their coaching search, huh?
*With eight points in his first eight playoff games with the Florida Panthers, Brad Marchand sure doesn’t look done. Meanwhile, Bruins fans are now caught between the proverbial rock and hard place: root for the Maple Leafs, or root for the Panthers, the team that dispatched them in each of the last two postseasons?
The tiebreaker: if Florida advances, the Bruins get the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2027 or 2028 instead of a second-round selection. (Marchand has already satisfied the condition that he play at least half of the Panthers’ postseason games).
*There’s no logical spot on the roster (or the lineup) for either Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayers currently. But the longer the Red Sox poke along at .500, the better chance there is that the Red Sox could promote one or both to inject some energy into the club. It’s been done before.
*There’s some growing frustration within the Red Sox organization about outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. More than once, Rafaela has been advised in the dugout to take the first pitch in his next at-bat, only to swing freely minutes later. Rafaela showed in spring training that he could be more selective at the plate, but that discipline has mostly disappeared in the regular season.
*Watching the NBA playoffs, and the Celtics in particular, the notion of driving to the basket and having a low post game are now about as antiquated as the two-hand set shot.
*Boxers never learn. For every George Foreman, there’s a list of countless fighters who come out of retirement, confident they can turn back time. It didn’t work for Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson and it almost certainly won’t work for Manny Pacquiao, age 46.
*What’s more amazing — that it’s been 55 (!) years this weekend since Bobby Orr’s Stanley Cup-winning goal? Or that, in 1970, the season was completed and the Cup was won on Mother’s Day?
*Of all the problems facing the Red Sox through the first six weeks, I didn’t expect set-up relief to be one of them. And yet, the Sox lead the league in blown saves — most coming not in the ninth, the province of the closer, but rather, earlier in the game — and have let too many games get away from them in the seventh and eighth. Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock were supposed to be assets, not the liabilities they’ve been in recent weeks.
*If it’s true, as speculated, that Adam Vinatieri fared poorly in the fan balloting for the Patriots’ Hall of Fame because he dared get himself a fair deal elsewhere in free agency after the Patriots signaled his team was over here, then shame on the voters. It never ceases to amaze me when fans become indignant toward low-balled players who choose to go elsewhere.
*Even hard-core baseball fans might be hard-pressed to name three members of the Detroit Tigers’ starting lineup. Yet somehow, A.J. Hinch has directed them to the best record in the American League. The Red Sox visit Detroit Monday for the first of three.
*The Knicks last won a championship 52 years ago. Remember than as you listen to national announcers treat Madison Square Garden as some sort of basketball mecca this week.
*As long as we’re going to be resurrecting NBA TV theme songs from the past, give me the one from CBS in the 1970s and 1980s, rather than that drek from John Tesh.
*Happy Mothers Day to all. Consider yourself lucky if you can still call or visit your mom.
