David Ortiz is not backing down from his criticism of Rafael Devers.
The Baseball Hall of Famer on Friday once again seemingly took a shot at the three-time MLB All-Star ahead of the Giants’ series with the Boston Red Sox, Devers’ former team.
Ortiz posted a photo of himself with his retired number in the Fenway outfield with a message that read:
“The thing is that to have some like this at Boston you have to just not be a hitter you have to be the full package a all the way around player… go Sox.”
This added to some choice words Ortiz told The Athletic on Monday, just one day after the trade first was reported.
“I know the communication between Devers and the Red Sox wasn’t the best at the very beginning,” Ortiz told The Athletic. “But at some point, you have to realize the organization has the power over everyone. They can play you, trade you, let you go. Sometimes, as a young player, it’s hard to understand that.
“But they have the power to do whatever they want. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field.”
“Big Papi” ’s remarks didn’t go over well with everyone with ties to the Red Sox, however, as his former teammate Pedro Martinez had his own thoughts on the situation and even mentioned Ortiz as a possible influence on the Devers-Red Sox relationship deteriorating.
“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,” Martinez said. “And just like I said before, that should’ve been handled in-house. Big Papi should’ve gone out with Devers to talk about those things, not really openly speaking in the field, because the cameras are able to pick up everything that we say.”
The 28-year-old Devers repeatedly told reporters before Friday night’s game that he wants to move on as he turns a new page in his career, and it starts with facing his former club just three games into his Giants career.
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