Last Sunday, when the Red Sox parted ways with Rafael Devers, it wasn’t just a roster move. It was the end of an era. For Devers, Boston wasn’t just a team, it was home. Now, just hours before facing his former team for the first time, Devers opened up about the position shuffle and the way things ended.

Raffy wouldn’t have imagined the team he saw a long future with, the team which re-signed him on a 10-year, $313.5 million deal in 2023, would let him go. But the way they treated him with their demands for position changes, probably, will help him move past it. The messy deal felt all too similar to a trade that happened five years ago – when the Red Sox’s star slugger Mookie Betts was sent to the Dodgers. And Devers also seems to have taken note of the similarities.

“I was surprised when it happened, but I knew it was coming,” Devers said on Thursday to Peter Abraham and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “I know the business of baseball, I saw it happen with Mookie [Betts] when he got traded. That kind of prepared me for what happened.”

Over the past few months, the Red Sox shifted him around the field as they saw fit. At first, he had to give up his usual third base to accommodate Alex Bregman. But when Triston Casas got injured, they wanted him to try first base. This time, he refused. Even Red Sox principal owner John Henry made an unscheduled trip to Kansas City to convince him. But clearly, that failed.

“They wanted me to play first base,” Devers opened up about the conversation they had in May. “I told [Henry] that eventually, yes, I could play first base—but maybe next year. It was not my fault that players got hurt. I felt like if another player got hurt, they would move me again,” he added. Sure, a player is expected to put the team first, but the way they handled his move from third base made that nearly impossible.

Now, Devers is off to a new start with the Giants. And here he seems to be happy to take up any roles. “I’m going to try and get there as fast as I can and be ready whenever the team needs me,” he responded when asked about playing at first base for his new team.

That’s a promising sign for the Giants, who have placed big expectations on Rafael Devers.

Buster Posey opens up on Devers’ hopes

When the Giants closed the Devers deal on Sunday, they opened up the door for a player who can change their game. It was the biggest deal ever in the Giants’ history, and for Buster Posey, a milestone in his career. It is definitely one of the important decisions he made as the Giants’ President of Baseball Operations.

“What we heard is he’s a guy that loves to play baseball,”  Posey said on MLB Network when asked about Devers. “He wants to go play baseball. He wants to be in the lineup every single day. And then, you know, first conversations with him, with myself and Zach, and Bob Melvin, it was pretty clear. I mean, he was excited to be a Giant, and he wants to help us win games any way he can.” 

Posey didn’t shy away from his hopes for Devers. “To me, Raffy Devers is a star, and our fanbase…they’ve been clamoring to have guys like this that they can show up to the park and root for daily.” 

Well, from his first game itself, the support from the fans has been loud with a standing ovation. Posey also drew a wild comparison. “When I think back, in my career, we had a guy named Jake Peavy, I was pretty excited to meet, I mean.” The Cy Young winner, Peavy, was a game changer for the Giants, and Devers could be the next one.

Now, as Devers and the Giants get set to host the Red Sox at Oracle Park, the stage is set for a thrilling weekend clash. It’s Devers’ best shot at making a statement, and maybe settling the score.