If there’s one person that understands Rafael Devers’ situation, it’s legendary slugger Manny Ramirez. Ramirez played 19 MLB seasons and became the beloved “Man-Ram” for Red Sox fans. He knew how to play his best for the Red Sox while having a flair for the dramatic at times, too.
Players do get traded or leave franchises at different times. How these situations play out can stir up old memories in them at times. Ramirez spent eight seasons in Boston.
Rafael Devers’ Acrimonious Red Sox Divorce Strikes a Chord with Manny Ramirez
To anyone that watched Ramirez play, he played his own style of baseball. The 12-time All-Star dazzled fans with his hitting prowess. During Boston’s magical 2004 World Series run, Ramirez hit .350 with two home runs, 11 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .423, winning World Series Most Valuable Player honors.
Tensions rose, though, between Ramirez and his teammates. It got so bad that the Red Sox ended up trading Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Devers, after a winter and spring of jostling with Red Sox management over position changes, finds himself in San Francisco playing for the Giants.
La Nacion Red Sox’s Twitter account captured the quote where Ramirez doesn’t pull any punches.
Manny Ramirez: “Devers necesitó tener personas que lo asesoren ahí en el equipo. Te lo digo porque yo realmente no estaba bien, y David y Pedro se fajaban conmigo a asesorarme. Pero yo estaba tan mal, que nunca me deje asesorar de ellos. Y David Ortiz mira como ha salido en… pic.twitter.com/xb3PB4pvMN
— La Nación Red Sox (@lanacionboston) June 17, 2025
“Devers needed to have people advising him there on the team,” Ramirez said as the quote was translated into English. “I’m telling you this because I really wasn’t well, and David (Ortiz) and Pedro (Martinez) were fighting with me to advise me. But I was so bad that I never let them advise me. And David Ortiz, look how he’s come out on top in Boston. He let himself be advised. Most Latinos don’t come out on good terms with their teams.”
It takes self-awareness for Ramirez to understand his role. While it may seem too late, Ramirez needed help from his teammates. From a cultural standpoint, it might be difficult. Add a language barrier to the issues and it can get thorny.
By using Ortiz as an example, Ramirez correctly points out how much of an icon “Big Papi” is in the city of Boston. The same goes for Martinez. Neither Devers nor Ramirez reaches that type of admiration. Ramirez, like Devers, through his words, forced himself out of a place that welcomed them and wanted to lionize them for bringing a championship to the Red Sox.
Devers might be blamed for how things disintegrated in Boston. It’s possible that Devers could have worked through his issues with Red Sox management. Devers could even have been a mentor to younger players like Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony.
Instead, he goes to a new team. Still only 28, time remains on Devers’ side.