Why did the Red Sox trade Rafael Devers and other questions from Boston’s shocking blockbuster?

By Matt Geagan

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON (WBZ) — The Boston Red Sox made a shocking, franchise-altering trade Sunday when the team shipped Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Fans aren’t too pleased with the move, which takes the biggest bat out of the Boston lineup and is reminding the Red Sox faithful of past deals that saw other star players leave town.

The Red Sox gave Devers a $313.5 million contract just two years ago to the be face of the franchise. The contract was, in large part, a make-good with fans after the Mookie Betts trade debacle and Xander Bogaerts was allowed to walk in free agency. Devers and his big bat were supposed to lead the franchise for the next decade.

But the relationship between the player and the franchise had apparently soured beyond repair, and the two sides split with Sunday’s blockbuster trade.

The timing of the deal makes it even stranger. After struggling for much of the last three months, the Red Sox are coming off a three-game sweep of the rival Yankees and three straight series wins. Boston just clawed its way above .500 in the standings, and Devers crushed a solo homer Sunday afternoon to cap off the sweep of New York.

Sunday’s homer was his final hit in a Red Sox uniform.

Fans have every right to be mad at this move. Mad at the franchise for causing this toxic situation with some incredibly poor communication with Devers this spring, and mad at Devers for his attitude throughout this ordeal. He could have been a Red Sox lifer, but essentially pouted his way out of time.

The blame lies on both sides in this mess, but that won’t make anyone feel any better about losing a 35-homer, 120-RBI guy in the lineup. The dust is still settling from this massive trade, and Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and president Sam Kennedy are set to talk with reporters some time Monday.

Here’s what we know of the blockbuster Devers trade — and a few questions that need to be answered.

Why did the Red Sox trade Rafael Devers?

Devers and the Red Sox had a bumpy offseason, to say the least. It started when the team sent mixed signals while courting veteran Alex Bregman, whom they initially wanted to play second base. After Bregman was signed, Devers pushed back on a move to DH to let Bregman and his Gold Glove remain at third.

Devers eventually took over at DH, but he got off to a real rocky start. He went 0-for-21 with 15 strikeouts to before logging his first hit of the season.

Then when Triston Casas went down with a season-ending injury, Devers refused to try his hand at first base. It prompted John Henry and Sam Kennedy to fly to Kansas City to chat with the disgruntled star, but it didn’t change anything. Other than taking some grounders at shortstop before games recently, Devers never played the field for Boston this season.

All had been quiet the last few weeks, as the team started to turn a corner. Mere hours before the trade, Devers told reporters in the Red Sox clubhouse the drama and distractions were “past us.”

But in the end, both sides were ready to move on. Though Devers never demanded a trade, according to Chris Cotillo of Mass Live, the relationship between the player and the team was “an unsalvageable situation for both parties,” according to Cotillo’s sources. Devers was frustrated with the mixed messaging and communication issues throughout the organization, and felt like a scapegoat for Boston’s problems, according to Cotillo.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan said Sunday night it was clear Devers didn’t want to be in Boston anymore, and the Red Sox saw it as a chance to move on from a player who was not living up to his end of the bargain.

“It’s very simple. Rafael Devers, after all that happened with Boston this spring; the move from third base to DH, then them wanting him to play first base. He did not want to be in Boston anymore” Passan said of the blockbuster on Sunday Night Baseball. “The Red Sox saw this as an opportunity to get rid of more than $250 million that he was owed, and the San Francisco Giants are taking on every single penny of his remaining contract that runs through 2033.”

The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham added on BlueSky: “PerRed Sox sources: the team’s feeling was that a $313.5M contract comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities. They had enough and they traded him.”

The trade creates a massive hole in the Boston lineup, as Devers was leading the team with 15 homers, 58 RBI, and a .401 OBP.

Who is the face of the Red Sox now?

This team belongs to the kids now. Roman Anthony is here to stay, as is Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Who is going to DH for the Red Sox?

With Devers no longer locked into the DH spot in Boston, Alex Cora will have no shortage of options to occupy the position. It actually creates quite a bit of roster flexibility to get the young players in the lineup everyday along with vets returning from injury.

There will still be musical chairs in the outfield with Jarren Duran, Rafaela, Anthony, and Wilyer Abreu when he returns from the IL later this week. We may even see Masataka Yoshida make his way back to the Majors and get some time at DH.

And when Bregman returns, Cora will have a chance to give him a break from playing the field. None of this will make up for Devers’ bat missing from the lineup, but Cora shouldn’t have too much issues getting everyone consistent playing time going forward.

Did the Red Sox get anything for Devers?

Not really. Pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison have experience in the Majors, but neither will be fronting a rotation anytime soon. Hicks is a journeyman who has a 6.57 ERA this season and hasn’t pitched in two weeks due to a toe injury.

Harrison is a 23-year-old lefty who is 9-9 with a 4.48 ERA over his 39 career appearances, 35 of which were starts. He began the 2025 season in Triple-A before taking a spot in the San Fran bullpen, and was then moved to the rotation at the end of May. The Red Sox sent him back to the minors upon completing Sunday’s trade.

Both should be able to help the overworked Boston bullpen, but this isn’t the kind of return you expect to get for a franchise slugger.

The Red Sox also received Jose Bello, a 20-year-old righty who had a 2.00 ERA in rookie ball this season. The only position player heading to Boston is first baseman/outfielder James Tibbs III, who was drafted 13th out of Florida State in 2024 and was San Francisco’s No. 4-ranked prospect.

Really though, the most important thing for the Red Sox was getting off the remaining $250 million owed to a player they didn’t believe was invested in the team anymore. That’s not the most important thing for fans though, which is why most Boston fans are waking up extremely angry Monday morning. The Red Sox traded their franchise player, and essentially got peanuts in return.

Were any other teams interested in Rafael Devers?

According to Sean McAdam of Mass Live, the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays all inquired about Devers’ availability. But those teams didn’t express the same level of interest or motivation as the Giants did to get a deal done.

Is anyone left from the 2018 World Series Champs?

Nope. Just skipper Alex Cora. Devers was the last remaining player from Boston’s most recent title, and he’s now joining Betts and Bogaerts in the National League West.

Tanner Houck, who debuted for Boston in 2020, is now the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox.

In the Boston sports landscape, Bruins forward David Pastrnak (11 seasons) is now the longest-tenured star, following by Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (nine seasons).

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.