When you look back at the Boston Red Sox in 2025, two moments jump off the page. First is Roman Anthony’s arrival, and second is a franchise player like Rafael Devers exiting. Boston fans were already bracing for the chaos when the whispers of a “breakup” started coming about.

The constant position change request, the tension behind the scenes, and Alex Bregman taking Devers’ position and limelight had Rafael Devers packing for Houston, leaving the fanbase in shock. Because it was like the Mookie Betts deja vu just hit fans again!

David Ortiz, the Boston legend, was not seemingly in a pro-Raffy club. But now, when he was asked about his feelings about Raffy leaving, it was all heart and emotions.

“Well, to be honest with you, you don’t want to let go of a batter like him. Of course. I mean, Raffy is a beast when it comes down to a player that you want in your lineup, you know, and and and I love Raffy.” And Papi even gave a little sneak peek into how far back their relationship goes.

“I met Rafie when Rafy was, uh, 15, developing on a farm down in the Dominican Republic. Like, that was my guy, you know,” said Big Papi at the ITM Podcast. And for him, if Devers ever needs advice from him or anything else, the doors are always open.

Of course, all this is layered over the messy history from early this year. When Devers was traded, Ortiz was maybe in the anti-Devers club, saying, “To have something like this in Boston, you can’t just be a hitter. You have to be the full package… Go Sox… Devers disrespected the Red Sox and his teammates by arriving at spring training out of shape.”

In fact, Big Papi even went as far as showing the receipts of how he sent Devers message after message, but got no reply! Well, now Ortiz’s tone is different, and he is almost talking like how a father talks about a son he believes in. In fact, later in the podcast, Devers did mention, “Rafi can be like my son.”

But now it’s time to move on from the past franchise face to the new one, who David Ortiz says is Roman Anthony!

David Ortiz crowns Roman Anthony as Boston’s New Face 

If you have ever watched even a handful of Boston Red Sox games this past season, you know that Roman Anthony didn’t need even a full season to turn the Red Sox upside down. Just seventy-one games—that is all it took for the kid to convince the front office he was worth an eight-year, $130 million extension. It is a deal that’s almost unheard of for a rookie, but nobody is blinking on it—because he deserves it. He was the team’s most valuable position player in 2025.

Now that kind of money comes with pressure, and Boston needs him to anchor the lineup for the full 162 next year. No excuses, no training wheels, nothing. But if you ask Bip Papi, Anthony was built for the role. He was at the Fenway Rundown and said, “When you have a guy that talented, that young, and that mature, that’s the full package… You know you have the face of the franchise. A guy like him—you know your money is worth it. That’s why we gave him that big deal right away—because he’s worth that much.”

And it’s not just the on-field hype; in fact, Anthony flew down to Palm Beach Gardens this weekend for Papi’s “Weekend with Papi” charity golf event. Ortiz even mentioned how he met him and his family earlier this year, and what a lonely family they were. “His mentality and his focus—it’s not from a 21-year-old guy. Trust me,” said Papi.

Well, the best part is that Ortiz is not alone; everyone from coaches to scouts and executives seems convinced that Anthony is the guy for Boston now. Do you think so too?