Blue Jays fans can't help but laugh at Red Sox mismanagement of third basemen

The Boston Red Sox really messed this one up didn't they? Two years ago they had both Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman on their roster. Two sure-fire All-Star caliber players. Two veterans who could be trusted to anchor a lineup that was surrounded by budding youngsters who were showing all kinds of potential.

But after a late night deal was struck on Saturday between Bregman and the Chicago Cubs, the Red Sox have neither of those guys, which is great news for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Blue Jays fans can't help but laugh at Red Sox mismanagement of third basemen

Since 2004, the Red Sox have been one of the best and consistent teams of the new century. They've won the World Series four times in 22 years. They've produced Hall of Fame players, and they were set up for so many years of sustained success thanks to a combination of signing the right free agents and developing big league talent.

But after they won the 2018 World Series, things really started to fall apart quickly. First, they traded future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts. Then they had to make a decision on whether to keep Xander Bogaerts or Devers as for some reason the deep pocketed Red Sox couldn't conceivably sign both home grown talents. They went with Devers, which seemed like a good move at the time. But just two years into his ten-year $313 million, the Red Sox ruined their relationship with him before the 2025 season.

That's when they signed free agent third baseman Bregman to come over from the Houston Astros to play third base. Sure, Bregman is arguably a better defender that Devers, but when you sign someone else to usurp the highest paid player on the team without even phoning the player to give him a heads up, the fallout likely won't be good. Maybe there was a bit of immaturity on Devers part, but it's also a bad business move on the part of the Red Sox front office to not get a read on the situation that they are responsible for creating.

Then in June of 2025 the Red Sox traded Devers to the San Francisco Giants, ridding themselves of yet another homegrown player. Goodbye Mookie. Goodbye Bogaerts. Goodbye Devers. Not only were these moves completely shortsighted and disrespectful to three players who were a part of championship winning rosters in Boston, but all three guys were also great against the Red Sox arch nemesis, the New York Yankees.

Devers has hit 31 home runs in 119 games against the Yankees with an OPS of .880. Betts has a BABIP of .302, an OBP of .350 and an OPS of .835 vs the Bronx Bombers. Bogaerts has 18 home runs, a .410 SLG and 155 hits in 154 games against their division rivals. Yankees killers don't just grow on trees and for Boston to exile all three of them to the NL West is just bad business.

Then the Red Sox doubled down on their foolishness and decided to get outbid for the services of Bregman by the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs gave Bregman $175 million over five years. Boston's deal came in at a reported $160 million, according to MLB reporter Jon Heyman. The guy they brought in to replace Devers spent one year in Boston, decided that was enough of that, opted out and got more money from a team that wasn't even on his radar at the beginning of the offseason.

Bregman to was fairly successful against the Yankees. While he's only hit .228 in his career against New York, he has still produced an OBP of .324 with 44 hits and 25 walks compared to 37 strikeouts in 53 games. But to add insult to injury, he brought his game to another level against New York as a member of the Red Sox. In the seven games against them in 2025, Bregman slashed .357/.424/.500 in those contests. He was also 3-for-7 with two walks in the Red Sox loss in the three game Wild Card series against New York.

The Red Sox could potentially make up for their misfortunes by signing Bo Bichette, and stealing him away from the Blue Jays. But for the moment it seems like they are truly scrambling and Toronto fans can, for the moment, sit back and appreciate the moves the Blue Jays front office has made this year compared to the moves of their division rivals in Boston.