There’s a lot going on at the moment for Juan Soto and Rafael Devers. Both sides of the controversy surrounding the stars and their respective teams, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets, have a lot to say. While Rafael Devers seemed frustrated with the Red Sox for requesting him to change his position for the second time in three months, Juan Soto’s been terrible given his caliber. Now, amid the tensions between the players and the teams, MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar has sent a strong message to both these stars.

Boston Red Sox’s star, Rafael Devers, faced backlash for declining the idea of transitioning to first base, despite a gap in the lineup due to Triston Casas’ injury. On the other hand, the Mets are really concerned with Juan Soto’s lack of intent, given that his season average has dropped to .243 with a .374 OBP and he posted only eight home runs. 

Now that both teams are upset at their players, World Series champ from 2004, Kevin Millar on “The Rich Eisen Show”, said, “I think the whole bottom line was Rafie probably had his feelings here a little bit early on with the Bregman signing late now. Okay, it’s going to get weird as Bregman, playing second base, and Robbie, a third baseman, come out and say, That’s my position.” However, it cannot be denied either that Alex Bregman has been a terrific third baseman. That’s the reason Millar believes that Devers, despite trying his best to become a good third baseman, has been at the “bottom of the food chain”.

Delivering a scathing attack on Devers, Millar said, “Trist blows his knee out for the entire year. I don’t understand what’s so hard about going to play if a coach or an organization asks you to go play somewhere. And you’re blessed with $300 million, so this is not a free agent year where you feel that maybe they’re holding you back. It’s for the team, right?” Millar wants Devers to care about the team and take out his ego and that’s when baseball will look more fun. However, he wasn’t the only one to face the wrath of Millar.

When asked about Juan Soto’s lack of hustle, Millar said, “He knows that at Fenway, you know, you have the monster and you can hit some hardline drives and it’s a single, anyway.” Indeed, there was a situation in which Soto might have believed he had it, but it was unexpected. Kevin Millar considers that the 90-foot monster needs to be respected, and one can never go wrong by hustling.

What lies ahead for Rafael Devers and Juan Soto amid the rising tensions?

Well, Rafael Devers has got some days to calm himself and start afresh. Although it’s too early to say whether he can create his magic again, the Red Sox seem to be remaining optimistic about him. However, Kevin Millar believes that in case something tragic happens to any of the teammates, it’s a necessity to do what is the best for the team.

“Right before you signed that 10-year, $313 million deal. If I were to ask you as an owner or the GM if something tragic happens to any of your teammates, in other words, if somebody blows out their patellar tendon, and we were to ask you to move to another position, would you do that before we signed this deal? And the answer would be 1000 percent.” Millar believes that the team comes first and if Devers can set aside his ego and play for the team, it is not far away that he’s going to be the best.

Meanwhile, the New York Mets’ star Juan Soto reached a new low after Soto turned around first, without any intention of going for a second. We already know what Soto is capable of, and it’s important that he plays to his caliber. A career that boasts 209 home runs, 63 SB, a .283 average, a .418 OBP and a .945 OPS feels a bit unorthodox considering this season’s performance. “We’ll talk to him about it. In this ballpark, anywhere but in particular this one with that wall right there, you have to get out of the box,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, hoping to get the best out of him soon.

However, fans are already demanding his exit through a trade by the New York Mets. But it is too early to say anything given that there’s a lot of season left. Do you think Devers and Soto can come out of their rough patch soon?