Rafael Devers sets perfect SF Giants leadership tone (and Red Sox fans will be jealous)

Over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner took an unnecessary swipe at Rafael Devers about his refusal to play first base, saying "just pick up a glove." Rafael Devers told Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News that his only focus is on the present and that he wants to leave the past in the past.

Rafael Devers sets perfect SF Giants leadership tone (and Red Sox fans will be jealous)

Werner did not say anything completely inflammatory about Devers. In fact, he said that Devers was a wonderful person, but the "pick up the glove" statement ignores the breakdown in communication between Devers and the Red Sox in the first place.

That is what led to the eventual break up, and the Red Sox have done themselves no favors anytime this is brought up. It has been nearly a year since the trade, and it is time for everyone to move on.

In some sense, the Red Sox have already moved on from that trade. They acquired Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs, and Jose Bello in the deal. Bello is the only player remaining on their end from that deal, highlighting that Boston's motivation to trade Devers was financial, along with the souring relationship between both parties.

The lack of communication between Devers and the front office about moving off of third base is what caused the rift. Devers had come up as a third baseman, but the Red Sox opted to move him off of that position when they added Alex Bregman last season.

Devers shifted over to DH. When Tristan Casas sustained a season-ending injury last season, Devers was asked to play first base. He rejected that idea, as the damage had already been done.

Shortly thereafter, Devers was shipped to the Giants in arguably one of the biggest June trades in baseball history. By all accounts, he has been a good teammate and addition to the organization. This includes taking over at first base in the second half of last season.

The 29-year-old infielder did not look like a novice at the position, and the Giants believe that he can eventually become an above-average glove at first base. At the end of the day, what a first baseman does on defense is often secondary to what they do in the batter's box.

Devers has put up an .855 OPS in his nine-year career, and had no problem adjusting to Oracle Park. He recorded 20 home runs across 90 games following the trade. The veteran bat has put this saga behind him, and would rather focus on the present task at hand, which is bolstering the middle of the Giants' lineup.