Alex Cora came out looking far worse than Aaron Boone after Rafael Devers bungle

What's the opposite of a gambit? Whatever that's called is what Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox just pulled off with Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman.

Boston agreed to a three-year, $120 million pact with Bregman, a Gold Glove infielder, but one who falls on the wrong side of 30. With Devers entrenched at third base (or, at least, entrenched on the roster for a decade longer), many assumed Bregman would land at second to start. Cora spoke just a few days ago about that possibility, noting, “[Bregman’s] a Gold Glove third baseman. He hasn't played [much] second base in the big leagues. I do believe he can be a Gold Glove second baseman too."

Notably, though, the Red Sox manager didn't commit in either direction, which came to a head on Monday. Devers spoke to the media and emphatically shut down the idea that he'd move to DH, or off third base in any capacity. The cold steeliness with which he spoke made it very clear that the Bregman addition was not made with the intention of letting Devers stay put. He was being uprooted, and would not stand for it.

The baton was then passed to Cora, who stood in front of the gathered press and did the exact opposite of what Aaron Boone would've done. Criticize Boone's in-game management all you want. Express frustration with the lines he feeds directly from the front office. But he would never pass the buck to a previous administration like this. He would never air out grievances with his team's best and most important player in front of a microphone, crafting a WWE storyline on the fly. And, perhaps most importantly, he never would've blindsided Aaron Judge with an acquisition of this magnitude, then told him to get over it.

Because don't let it get lost in the shuffle: Devers may not be a captain, but in terms of importance to the lineup, he is Judge.

Yankees' Aaron Boone comes out looking better than Alex Cora after Rafael Devers debacle

Nothing was more confounding on Monday than reading a bunch of Yankee fan-fueled discourse about how Cora showed a level of "spine" that Boone never would've here. If publicly challenging your offense's engine is "showing spine," then fans should be glad that Boone has never stooped to that level. The only thing we'll say for Cora here is that we often criticize Boone for singling out certain players (eg, Gleyber Torres) without focusing similar disciplinary energy on his favored inner circle. But the hope is that Boone would handle things behind the scenes, not on a podium.

Any way you slice it, this is an unnecessary feud and a vibe killer at best, and a critically mismanaged $40 million acquisition at worst. At least Marcus Stroman's tradeable or cuttable if things start to fester. And at least Stroman's entering the season as a No. 6 starter and not an MVP candidate. Gleyber Torres, another unwilling position shifter, is long gone. Will this linger for three years, kicked off by a petulant and sour note? Longer?

Cora and the Red Sox front office appear to have picked Bregman's defense and Kristian Campbell's promise over keeping a promise to Devers. Things may eventually work themselves out on the surface, but there's no coming back wanting to extend your star third baseman so badly that you lie to his face about the future you envision for him. Cora placing the blame for that negotiation entirely on Chaim Bloom is low. He's either insinuating that Devers' biggest defender is gone, or he's burying the evidence in St. Louis to discredit his superstar.

Get on Boone all you want, but this isn't "showing a spine". There's nothing more cowardly than passing off tough decisions that must be answered for on someone who's no longer in town.