Pedro Martinez Calls Out David Ortiz’s “Mistakes” After Slamming Red Sox Over Devers Mishandling

After weeks of swirling drama, Rafael Devers has finally walked away from the only MLB home he’s ever known. The former Red Sox cornerstone made his debut at Oracle Park on Tuesday, in a Giants jersey for the first time. Yet, as his new chapter begins, the echoes of his exit still thunder through Boston. How could they not? They didn’t just lose a player; they lost the face of their franchise, in the messiest way possible. With fans reeling and criticism flooding in, Red Sox royalty Pedro Martinez has also broken his silence. And he’s not just pointing fingers at management, but also at his friend and fellow teammate, the Big Papi himself.

After the trade on Sunday, Hall of Famer David Ortiz mentioned that he had reached out to Devers many times, trying to offer him advice. “He almost never returned my messages, but I don’t blame him,” he said earlier this week on Foul Territory TV, claiming that Devers has communication problems. It is only natural for legends to step in with advice when a star slugger gets caught in a month-long position drama. This time, though, Devers didn’t give his ear. But Martinez believes the blame doesn’t lie solely with Devers; Big Papi, too, could have handled things differently.

“Well, Big Papi also made a mistake in spring training by speaking in front of the cameras about some of the things that he needed to tell Devers. And just like I said before, that should have been handled in-house,” Martinez said while in conversation with Xavier Scruggs on the B/R Walkoff podcast. “Big Papi should have gone out with Devers to talk about those things, not really openly speak in the field. Because the cameras are able to pick up everything we say—everything. Every whisper that we have out there is being picked up by the microphone. So that was the first mistake from Big Papi,” he added. The three-time Cy Young winner also mentioned that he would have approached the issue differently.

Martinez believes he would have had a more private and personal talk with the 28-year-old slugger. Even after offering to talk to Alex Cora about Devers, he said, “I was never asked to go see Devers.” And Martinez is right. With all the drama already surrounding him, Devers would’ve felt more at ease if they had approached him with more care.

Devers would have most likely listened if the team had found the right people to talk with. But by shifting him from his usual third base to make room for Alex Bregman, they eliminated the possibility of moving him to first base when Triston Casas got injured. Devers wasn’t ready to play first, more importantly, he didn’t accept being pushed around.

Though Martinez had criticized Devers’ attitude before, he would understand the situation this time. He’s had his own share of friction with the team. And when a most-loved player of the team goes through tension, it is obvious that the team should resort to legends. And, Martinez is not the only legend who thinks like that.

Manny Ramirez slams Red Sox on Devers’ move

It is not what the Red Sox did with the whole Devers situation. It’s the way they chose to do it. When you ask a player to give up a position, which he specifically asked to be in when signing, it is not always going to end right. Devers was doing great as a DH, but they tried to push him around every time they felt like it. And that is what led to the blockbuster Sunday deal with the Giants. The two-time World Series champion, Manny Ramirez, blamed the team for its mishandling of the situation.

Ramirez thinks that before sending Devers off to the Giants, the team humiliated him. “Devers was humiliated [by the Red Sox]. It’s not about pride or ego. I think the team didn’t respect him or communicate with him properly. I can’t imagine the Yankees telling Judge, ‘Now we’re moving you to catcher.'” He has a point—no team would handle the face of the team like this. Ramirez also thinks some advice from the legends could have helped Devers.

“Devers needed to have people advising him there on the team. I’m telling you this because I really wasn’t well, and David and Pedro were fighting with me to advise me…,” he added. He regrets not listening to them when he had a rough time within the team. And maybe things would have ended up differently for Devers if he had received advice. But that chapter is closed now, he’s a Giant, and it’s a title he wears with pride. The Guardians may have spoiled his first win in San Francisco, but Devers definitely has brought hope to the Giants. But how would it look for him in the long run? Would he really start to love his new home? Well, that’s something to be seen.