When he made his MLB debut in 2017, Red Sox outfielder Rafael Devers was 20 years old and the youngest player on a Boston squad that finished the regular season with a 93-69 record and won the AL East division.
Now, the 27 year old Devers is considered a veteran presence within the Boston clubhouse — although he seems to believe that's a reason why the team finished the regular season with 78-84 record and as AL East bottom-dwellers.
During a media availability session on Tuesday, Devers had no problem referencing the glaring holes that Boston has on its roster — and the lack of urgency that Red Sox brass showed in signing new players during this offseason.
Simply could not have been a more embarrassing offseason for Red Sox ownership pic.twitter.com/sUor67aDVE
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) February 20, 2024
"They need to make an adjustment to help us players to be in a better position to win," Devers said. "Everybody in this organization wants to win, and we as players want to win, and I think they need to make an adjustment to help us win."
When asked what he thinks the team needs, Devers said, "Everybody knows what we need. You know what we need, and they know what we need. ... Everybody who knows the organization or knows the game knows what we need."
It's no secret that the Red Sox are lacking quality starting pitching.
In 2023, Red Sox starters finished 22nd in the MLB with a collective 4.68 ERA, and 27th in the league with 774.1 innings pitched.
Given that Boston lost their ace Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves his offseason, Devers appears to be calling out the Red Sox ownership to make some more pitching additions to the roster — which Devers also alluded to, when asked about whether he spoke to Red Sox team ownership when they visited the team on Monday.
"Yeah, I talked to them," Devers said before adding that, "they're going to try to improve the team and improve our weaknesses."
Even though spring training is already underway for all 30 MLB teams, both Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery — two top-tier aces who would certainly address the Red Sox's starting pitching deficiency — still remain free agents.
If Boston could land one of those pitchers, Devers (and the rest of the Red Sox's franchise and fanbase) would feel much more confident about their chances of success this season.
If not, then Devers and his squad seem destined for another disappointing season.
