Tigers' painful reminder of Alex Bregman drama somehow came with Red Sox paying price

It would be shocking if the whole of Comerica Park doesn't erupt in boos the second Alex Bregman steps up to the plate on Monday evening, when the Tigers begin their three-game series against the Red Sox.

Even though the Tigers are the winningest team in the American League without him, fans won't forget the way he shunned an incredibly good offer from Detroit — which almost perfectly lined up with his asking price — in order to go to Boston. He rubbed salt in the wound after everything was said and done and had the gall to say that he was prepared to be a Tiger before the Red Sox swooped in at the last second with a more lucrative offer.

But Bregman immediately complicated the Red Sox's roster, particularly when it came to Rafael Devers. Bregman is obviously the far superior third baseman, but Devers was extended on an 11-year, $311 million deal in 2023 for a reason.

After a lot of public resistance to moving off of third base and becoming a full-time DH, Devers and the Red Sox find themselves mired in in-fighting once again, this time over whether or not he'd be willing to move to first base. It's been complicated and pretty ugly, and it probably never would've happened if the Red Sox hadn't signed Bregman.

Red Sox could've avoided all of their Rafael Devers drama if Alex Bregman had signed with the Tigers

Boston lost first baseman Triston Casas on May 2, when he ruptured his patellar tendon trying to beat an infield chopper to first. The Red Sox called up veteran Abraham Toro as his replacement and have also used Romy Gonzalez and Nick Sogard at first since, but Devers is the most obvious candidate to take over there.

But Devers is clearly still upset about having to vacate his position at third, and he's turning the front office's words back on them. He said he'd been told to put his glove away and focus on DH'ing, so that's what he's doing. He recommended they focus their attentions on the trade market and has alluded to a division between him and the front office.

He's still performing incredibly well at the plate despite the drama, but neither he nor the Red Sox front office has come out on the other end of this looking good. And, again, none of this would've been in issue at all if Bregman wasn't on the roster.