We all wanted Raffy to be a big lovable teddy bear. I'm not trying to character-assassinate the man, but when the full picture emerges I think it's going to be clear that he's the one who messed up here.
Maybe David Ortiz has become a company man, maybe not, but he is saying things that indicate Raffy wouldn't listen to him, wouldn't take his advice.
More from Big Papi:
"You cannot imagine how many times I wrote to Devers trying to give him advice...he almost never returned my messages."
Wow. Pretty strange that Devers wouldn't communicate with Ortiz, who would seem like one of the first people on the planet he should be listening to.
I think Bregman has a legit chance at the HOF if he stays reasonably healthy.
He's a good example of a guy who is rewarded by WAR, because he's such a complete player.
I get what you're saying, but it's been reported that they communicated to Devers when he signed his extension that they had some expectations of him being the face of the team. I would assume he affirmed this to them at the time.
All depends on the pitching. Giolito, Buehler, Crochet, Dobbins, Bello, all just pitched excellent games. And I'll be the first to admit I didn't see 5 good starts in a row coming.
We only scored 15 runs in the 5 games but won them all.
Big Papi says:
“Players need to take this as an example, nobody is indispensable," Ortiz said. "You have to be available, that was the end of the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox. You need to be smart to understand the situation. Your worst enemy is your ego.”
David actually adds another criticism to the pile there - Raffy's reluctance to talk to the media. That bothered the team as well.