While the Boston Red Sox<\/a>‘ decision to trade top star Rafael Devers<\/a> to the San Francisco Giants<\/a> seemingly caught the whole baseball world by surprise on Sunday, David Ortiz wasn’t too shocked by the development.<\/p>\n The Red Sox icon, who works for the team as a special assistant and is an MLB<\/a> analyst for FOX Sports, was pretty direct in his criticism of Devers over his unwillingness to switch positions in the lead-up to the trade.<\/p>\n “I played for the Red Sox a long time,” Ortiz told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal in a story for The Athletic<\/a>. “You think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers? I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s— happens. You need to have the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.”<\/p>\n There had been plenty of drama between Devers and the Red Sox in the months leading up to the trade. He was steadfast in his belief that he should remain the team’s third baseman when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman<\/a> at the onset of spring training. Devers eventually relinquished that belief, accepting a change to become the team’s designated hitter.<\/p>\n In early May, though, Devers was again at odds with the Red Sox over his position. After Triston Casas<\/a> suffered a season-ending injury, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow suggested that Devers could be a replacement at first base. Devers didn’t like that, calling out Breslow to the point that owner John Henry believed he needed to fly out to Kansas City during a road trip and have a meeting with the team’s now former star slugger.<\/p>\n As the Red Sox admittedly failed in letting Devers know that he could switch positions in the offseason, Ortiz said the team he spent 14 seasons with wasn’t without blame. However, he added in his comments to Rosenthal that “you have to give the club the benefit of the doubt. They\u2019re not trying to make the organization look bad.”<\/p>\n “It\u2019s business,” Ortiz said. “In business, things happen. When you\u2019ve got a lot of money involved, sometimes you pay for what you expect, and sometimes it doesn\u2019t work out. It\u2019s nothing personal. It\u2019s part of business.<\/p>\n “Everyone needs to understand that. I\u2019m not saying the Red Sox are the best at making the best decisions. But it\u2019s not like they\u2019re the worst, either. Everyone needs to agree on that. The Red Sox have people, sometimes when they\u2019re talking about contracts, I\u2019m not going to tell you they\u2019re perfect. I went through it. Everything has a way of being resolved. But when things fall apart, this is what happens.”<\/p>\n Rafael Devers hit 15 home runs this season before getting traded to the Giants. (Photo by Natalie Reid\/MLB Photos via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Even though Devers was in the center of plenty of drama through the early months of the season, he still performed at the plate. He hit .272 with a .905 OPS, 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 73 games, with the 28-year-old likely set to earn his fourth All-Star nod in his career. The move also came just over two years after Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension with the Red Sox, who got a package that most considered pretty measly in the trade (RHP Jordan Hicks<\/a>, LHP Kyle Harrison<\/a>, 1B\/OF prospect James Tibbs<\/a>, prospect RHP Jose Bello).<\/p>\n As the trade surprised many, Rosenthal believes the reasoning for the trade is pretty clear, placing some blame for the Red Sox on their messaging (or lack thereof).<\/p>\n “They did this because they felt that Devers wasn\u2019t living up to his deal,” Rosenthal said on “First Things First.” “He wasn’t doing things off the field. Obviously, he wouldn’t play first base. That was an issue.<\/p>\n “To me, this all began when they did not keep him apprised of what was going on with Alex Bregman in the offseason. All they had to do was say, \u2018Raffy, we might sign Bregman. You had asked us to improve the club. If we sign Bregman, we are going to want you to DH, maybe play some first base.’ \u2026 That\u2019s when things started to go awry.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/a57.foxsports.com\/statics.foxsports.com\/www.foxsports.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0\/0\/gettyimages-2219650494-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)