Sometimes it only takes one name to drag a whole mess back into the light for Red Sox fans.
That’s what happened Monday when Ceddanne Rafaela was asked during his All-Star Game media availability to name his favorite former teammate. His answer was short and unmistakable.
"Devers," Rafaela told Bradford and the other media members gathered at his station. "Yes, always."
Question: ‘Who is your favorite former teammate?’ Answer: pic.twitter.com/a95IlfXukB
The comment lands with extra weight because Rafael Devers remains one of the defining headaches of last season for Boston. Before the Red Sox dealt him to the San Francisco Giants on June 15, the relationship between Devers and the organization had already turned tense. It started with the club moving him off third base without proper warning, then escalated when he refused to shift to first base after Triston Casas got injured.
Rafaela’s words served as a reminder that the Devers situation was never as clean-cut inside the clubhouse as it looked from the outside. When Rafaela reached the majors at the end of the 2023 season, the Red Sox were still hoping Devers could grow into a clubhouse leader. That never really happened, but Devers apparently still made an impression on Rafaela.
That connection showed up again when Boston visited the Giants just a week after the trade. At the time, it was notable that Rafaela spent the most time of any Red Sox player talking with Devers on the field before games. Rafaela also declined to comment on the deal then.
None of that means Rafaela was taking a shot at the Red Sox for moving Devers. Almost certainly, he wasn’t.
But for plenty of Boston fans, the trade will always sting. They liked Devers just as much as Rafaela clearly did, and many still believe the front office mishandled the whole thing.
In Other News...
Ceddanne Rafaelas Favorite Former Red Sox Teammate Will Hit Fans Hard
At All-Star Game media day, Ceddanne Rafaela was asked to name his favorite former teammate, a harmless question that still carried a little weight for Red Sox fans watching the roster turn over around him. The Boston center fielder, now an All-Star himself, answered in a way that spoke to the kind of bond that can outlast a uniform change, especially when the player in question once sat at the center of the clubs lineup and clubhouse.
The timing gives the answer extra bite because the former teammate in question is no longer part of Bostons present, having been dealt to San Francisco during the 2025 season. For a team that has already seen enough moving parts in the trade market, Rafaelas reflection is a reminder of how quickly a familiar face can become a memory, even if the respect and appreciation remain very much intact. [Read more 🡒]
Willson Contreras Just Put More Pressure On Red Sox Deadline Plans
Willson Contreras has given the Red Sox another reason to think carefully as the trade deadline approaches. The newly minted All-Star has settled in as Bostons first baseman, and he made clear he has enjoyed his time at Fenway Park, where the atmosphere has only added to the appeal of staying put. With the club still in the playoff mix, his comfort level matters, especially for a team trying to balance short-term urgency with longer-term planning.
The timing also makes the situation harder to ignore because Contreras is under contract for two more seasons, which already makes a move less likely. Even so, the faint trade chatter around him has not disappeared entirely, and his preference to remain in Boston only sharpens the pressure on the front office as it decides whether to buy, hold, or reshape the roster in the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Make Curious Deadline Move During Playoff Push
The Red Sox added another layer to their roster shuffle by bringing in Jahmai Jones from Detroit for a player to be named later, a move that fits the kind of deadline maneuvering clubs make when they are trying to keep options open without paying a heavy price. Jones gives Boston an outfielder-designated hitter type with some big-league experience across several organizations, and he arrives with a track record that includes a strong season in Detroit not long ago.
For Boston, the more immediate significance is roster math. Jones slides onto the 40-man after Danny Coulombe was designated for assignment, and he will need a spot on the 26-man roster once play resumes, which makes this less of a pure depth add than a bet on whether the Red Sox can get something useful out of a player Detroit had already moved on from. The intrigue is whether Boston sees a short-term bench piece, a reclamation project, or simply a flexible name to keep in the mix as the playoff push tightens. [Read more 🡒]