SAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers had a consistent mantra when he addressed the Boston media for the first time since his surprising trade from the Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants five days ago.
''The past is in the past,'' Devers said repeatedly Friday when asked about his time with the Red Sox and why the relationship deteriorated so much this season that the team traded him less than two years into a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed in 2023.
Devers did give one piece of insight when asked what he would tell Red Sox fans about why he is willing to play first base in San Francisco if he is asked after refusing to do so with the Red Sox when asked last month.
''I would say that I have put some good numbers up over in Boston,'' he said through an interpreter. ''I think that I do feel that I have earned some respect. If they would have asked me at the beginning of spring training, yes, I would have played (first).''
Devers had warm interactions on the field with his former teammates before the game, but had little success during it with an 0-for-5 night as the Giants lost to the Red Sox 7-5. He got a standing ovation before grounding out in his first at-bat in the first inning and hit a drive to the wall in left-center that Ceddanne Rafaela caught against the wall in the third.
''I really looked up to him when I was coming up,'' said Rafaela, who called Devers his big brother. ''It's always a pleasure for me to watch him play and watch him perform. It was fun.''
Devers' relationship with the Red Sox began to deteriorate when the team signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to DH; he balked before agreeing to the switch. When first baseman Triston Casas sustained a season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the field and he declined, saying the front office ''should do their jobs'' and look for another player.
A day after Devers' comments to the media about playing first, Red Sox owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers and manager Alex Cora.