David Ortiz Drops Truth Bomb On Rafael Devers Relationship

The Boston Red Sox shocked the world when they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants midway through the 2025 campaign. While the Sox ended up finding their way to the playoffs without Devers, it’s a move that has still left a mark on franchise legend David Ortiz.

While this duo never played together in the majors, Ortiz served as a mentor of sorts for Devers during his rise in Boston’s farm system. In the eyes of many evaluators, Devers was the heir apparent to Ortiz for the Red Sox at designated hitter.

Things didn’t end up working out that way, as months of tension eventually resulted in Devers getting sent west to San Francisco. When discussing the trade, Ortiz said that while he is rooting for Devers to succeed and is open to helping him out if needed in the future, he hasn’t talked to him since the deal went down.

“No, we haven’t. We haven’t talked,” Ortiz told Joey Copponi and Scott Neville on the “ITM Podcast” on Friday. “I’m always busy with my own thing. And he got to continue doing his job, which I congratulate him on because he finished the season really good. That’s the Raffy that we all know.

If he ever needs advice from me or anything he needs from me, I’m open. He’s a good kid. But like I say, business is business. As a player, you have to do what you’re told. Those were the issues at the moment, and that happens.”

Balancing the relationship side of sports and the business side of sports is tough, and in a way, Ortiz is experiencing that with Devers, even though he’s been retired for nearly a decade now. Ortiz is open to reconnecting with Devers, but for the time being, that simply has not happened.

As part of his fundraising efforts, Ortiz is holding a silent auction loaded with priceless items that will be live until Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9:30 p.m. ET. You can also donate to the cause on the David Ortiz Children’s Fund’s website.