The Rafael Devers Trade: A good move, or another star thrown out of Boston?
- Om Brown
- Jul 23
- 17 min read
The Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 season with sky-high expectations. During the winter, they signed 3B Alex Bregman, traded for ace LHP Garrett Crochet, and picked up lefty closer Aroldis Chapman, adding star power to a roster in desperate need of top-end talent. Boston also had a trio of Top-15 prospects in OF Roman Anthony (#1), INF/OF Kristian Campbell (#7), and INF Marcelo Mayer (#12).
Flash forward to the middle of the summer, and the three big offseason additions all made the All-Star team, and all 3 top prospects made their debuts at some point in the year, although Campbell was sent down in June after a rough stretch in May. With this type of big league success, along with two more Top-100 prospects in INF Franklin Arias (#40, Single-A), and the organization’s Futures Game participant, OF Jhostynxon Garcia (#97, Triple-A), the team should be in position to make the postseason, as well as use their farm system riches to make win-now moves to secure that position. However, the ‘25 Red Sox have hovered around the .500 mark all season, with key players missing time with injuries, and overall team inconsistencies.
One bright spot for the team was the ever-consistent DH Rafael Devers, who mashed the baseball and seemed like a shoo-in to start for the AL at the Midsummer Classic in Atlanta. However, he was dealt to the San Francisco Giants in June, ending a very odd and obscured situation in Boston. Many fans, including myself, were outraged at the deal. Trading your best player in the midst of a huge winning streak to boost the team in a seemingly lost season is hardly ever a smart move. I released a piece shortly after detailing my honest thoughts on the trade.
Now a month removed from the trade, let's take a look behind the scenes on how the trade happened, Boston's tendency to give stars the boot, better moves in retrospect, and what's next for both the Sox and Devers.
Trade Details:
San Francisco Received:
Rafael Devers (and the remaining 8 years, $250 million left on his contract)
Boston Received:
OF James Tibbs III (The Red Sox #6 Prospect)
RHP Jordan Hicks
LHP Kyle Harrison (MLB's #13 Prospect in 2023)
RHP Jose Bello (Rookie League)
Even now, just over a month removed from the trade, the return looks similar to the peanuts received from the Mookie Betts deal in 2020. Hicks has fully rehabbed from his toe injury, and is back in the bullpen, where he shined as a high velocity reliever early in his career. Harrison was optioned back into the minors to make some tweaks to his arsenal, and will likely join the big squad by the end of the summer. Tibbs was immediately promoted to Double-A Portland and has produced well since joining the organization. Though the move freed up a ton of money for the team, nothing has been done with the newfound financial flexibility, although I would expect there to be big moves soon.
How This Happened:
The issue with Devers and the front office started when Bregman was signed right before Spring Training. However, many people in management wanted to play Bregman, the reigning Gold Glover coming off elbow surgery, at 2B. This move would have made sense. Breggy was signed to a 3-year, $120 million deal with opt-outs after two seasons, making the contract essentially a one-year pact. Defensively, second base had been a revolving door ever since franchise icon Dustin Pedroia retired. Bregman, a college SS, could move up the middle, giving his arm a chance to recover, while providing stability defensively to a position that had previously been a mess.
While Devers isn’t a great fielder by any means, he has improved each season since coming up to the bigs. Keeping him out there would have opened up the DH spot for Masataka Yoshida, who was rehabbing a torn labrum, but did take at-bats during the spring. Seemingly, this would be a win-win. Bregman gets a bunch of money for a short time with the chance to get a long-term deal after the year, Boston gets a huge defensive upgrade up-the-middle at a spot that desperately needs it, all while offensively still having the punch of the Macho Man in the lineup.
This was not the case. Models told GM Craig Breslow and team officials that if they started 2024 MiLB Player of the Year Kristian Campbell at 2B, they'd have a better squad. To me, there were some glaring issues with that decision. KC, while very athletic, was a college utility player with limited time at second. Since being drafted in 2023 out of Georgia Tech, he played just 137 games in the minors, and a miniscule 19 at the Triple-A level (Note: This does not include his games since being sent down in 2025). Campbell played second in just 51 of those games.
While he did rake across three levels of the minors, Campbell’s lack of experience showed in a big way. Despite getting demoted on June 19th, he is still 2nd among 2B in errors with 7, and sits towards the bottom of the Majors in DRS (-15). Though KC won April’s Rookie of the Month, his MLB stats are not good. He hit .223 with just 6 homers and 21 RBI, with a -1.0 WAR. I don’t mean to be negative about Campbell; he has loads of talent, but he was rushed to the big leagues, forced into a new role with a lot of pressure, and struggled. I hope he finds a reset in Worcester and can prove Boston right for why he was up on Opening Day.
The issue with Campbell at 2B and Bregman at 3B was that it forced Devers to move to DH, something that was not communicated to him by Breslow and manager Alex Cora during their pursuit of Bregman. Devers reluctantly settled into his new role and all seemed well until May 2nd, when young slugger 1B Triston Casas blew out his knee. Since Casas was out for the season, the Sox had to find a new man at first. Breslow asked Raffy if he would switch positions, but feeling disrespected, he refused. Devers has never played another position than the hot corner in his career. Things got so muddy that owner John Henry had to fly out to Kansas City to meet with Devers in early May to speak with him. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Devers indicated that he would be ready to play the new position, but only in 2026.
In this situation, I am fully on Carita’s side. He was forced off the position that he's played since he was signed as a 16-year old, and then asked to play at a spot where he has never played without proper preparation. I blame Breslow for this. 1B has been a position the organization has maintained virtually no depth at. Casas missed a huge chunk of last summer due to a rib injury and the team had to sign veteran Dom Smith to fill in as a stopgap. The situation is so bad that Campbell, an already overwhelmed rookie, is now playing first in Triple-A. The only solid internal option is the team’s #29 prospect, Blaze Jordan, who was called up to the WooSox this season.
Luckily for Breslow and Cora, Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have overachieved mighty so far this year, but I wouldn’t expect them to continue this level or production. I don’t understand why the team didn’t introduce Devers to the position in either the offseason or the spring. Even though Casas was healthy to start the year, it would have been smart to at least have Devers ready as a backup option just in case.
What's even more confusing was that Devers was having a phenomenal season. He was slashing .272/.401/.504 (AVG/OBP/SLG), with 17 bombs, 58 RBIs, and an AL high 56 walks, 11 short of his career high for a full season. In just 73 games, he put up an astounding 2.3 WAR from just hitting the baseball. At the time of the trade, the team was in a transitional period, with both Anthony and Mayer having been called up fairly recently. Having a power bat like Devers’ thumping the ball at the top of the order gave the lineup much needed stability, especially once Bregman hit the IL with a serious quad injury. The timing just makes zero sense, and what happened afterwards is even dumber.
Continued Dysfunctionality:
The Red Sox have had continued dysfunctionality in their front office this century, despite winning 4 World Championships since 2004. The architect of the curse-busting squad, as well as the 2007 champs, Theo Epstein, left the team after their disastrous 2011 chicken-and-beer controversy. His successor, Ben Cherington, built the 2013 championship team, only to leave two seasons later. Dave Dombrowski spent loads of cash and depleted the farm system, which led to a trip to the summit again in 2018, only to be canned a year later. Chaim Bloom came in, traded Mookie Betts, but built up the minor league again. Mayer, Anthony, Campbell, and stud OF Wilyer Abreu, are some of the top players that Bloom either acquired as prospects or drafted.
Since 2023, Breslow has done little to truly improve the team. Yes, he did trade for Garrett Crochet, but it was a foregone conclusion that he was getting shopped by the White Sox. To his credit, Breslow brought in C Carlos Narvaez in a fleece deal with the Yankees, but the other major trades he has made have been underwhelming at best. The most notable move under Breslow (prior to Devers) was trading away legendary lefty Chris Sale to the Braves, only for him to wind up winning the Cy Young award last season. The team's severe lack of top rotation arms over the past few years made that move a real gut punch. In 2024, Boston had a real shot at the playoffs, only for the front office to make subpar moves at the trade deadline en route to an 81-81 record. Something has to change.
Breslow, a Yale graduate, has fully invested into the analytics of the game. He and his small circle of followers in the organization have overhauled the front office, as they immediately fired 50 team officials and stripped down the scouting department. The Boston Red Sox are now a team driven solely by data and models. According to Passan, these decisions have created rifts in the organization, with many in the front office hinting at the existence of "turncoats internally plotting against Bres.” To me, this makes sense. Breslow has made no friends in the organization, and has given enemies, like Carl Moesche, the boot.
Moesche, a longtime scout for Boston, was fired on June 17th after voicing his frustrations about the Sox GM, allegedly calling Breslow a “fu*king stiff.” ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that many others in the front office find Breslow’s presence, “wooden and ineffective,” while offering the below advice:
"...he has to talk more with others, connect more — because when he doesn't build those relationships, what festers in the vacuum of conversation is the sort of communication decline that developed with Devers."
-Buster Olney, After Devers debacle, Red Sox must right the ship.
Should Rafael Devers have complained as much as he did? No, probably not. But should a man with an Ivy League degree know how to effectively communicate? Yes, he should. The fact that many inside the organization think that he has lackluster skills when it comes to conveying his thoughts is concerning. What tells me all I need to know is what rival officials and GMs think of this whole debacle. According to Passan, one league higher-up said, “Boston absolutely botched this entire Devers situation… It was like, 'Oops, we overpaid for a decade of our bat-only star, pissed him off publicly, then continued to bungle every subsequent opportunity to get things right.’” Another member of a team’s front office, this one a GM, was a lot more honest, a lot more real, and said what many Boston fans have been saying for years,
“These are the Boston fu*king Red Sox. You don't trade your stars.”
-An anonymous GM to Jeff Passan, How the Red Sox-Rafael Devers breakup got so messy
The Recurring Dream:
Speaking of Boston stars, the tale of an untimely trade of a key player is far too real for Sox fans. Nomar, Manny, Lester, Mookie, and now Raffy… The list could go on. This doesn’t even include the lack of interest to bring back fan-favorites like Xander, Ellsbury and Youkilis in free agency. Like in the case of Devers, sometimes the exit is ugly, with rumors and unfortunate reasons for the departure.
Legendary manager Terry Francona, the leader of two of the most memorable teams in franchise history in the champions of ‘04 and ‘07, was anonymously dragged through the mud upon his firing in 2011 for self-medicating with painkillers. Tito denied the report, but what followed was a continuation of unattractive breakups of BeanTown stars. Jon Lester, cancer survivor, two-time champ, and the ace of the staff was dealt at the 2014 trade deadline after being low-balled by the front office. He went on to win the 2016 World Series with the Cubs, while being the Cy Young runner-up to boot. Mookie Betts won the AL MVP and a ring during his historic 2018 season, only to get shipped out when ownership didn’t pony up top dollar for his services. Since arriving in LA, he has won a pair of World Series titles, a pair of Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, finished 2nd in NL MVP voting twice, and led the league in WAR two times. Even the beloved Xander Bogaerts, a two-time champion, 4-time All Star, and 5-time Silver Slugger, was low-balled by the Red Sox. Though I do agree that it was smart to not match the 11 years and $280 million he got from San Diego, Boston was more than $100 million below the Padres offer.
Once Devers was traded, stories about his refusal to play 1B circulated. One of those rumors involved Campbell. KC allegedly asked the Red Sox to start so he can learn the position, and with that, Devers took offense to it, as a “slight to his own stature.”
It turns out that both parts of this story are false. Campbell never went to the staff asking to play first, and Devers never had an issue with it. Upon his demotion to Triple-A Worcester, Campbell was asked about the rumors and immediately shut them down;
“Yeah, that was false. First off, Raffy never came to me. Never had a problem with it. We were always cool. He is an extremely great friend, extremely great person. Very kind person and a good teammate.”
-Kristian Campbell via Ryan Dunleavy, Kristian Campbell clears the air on alleged beef with Rafael Devers
When asked about wanting to play 1B, Campbell claims that the push to play at first came from the team.
It is very interesting that these reports came after Devers was traded. Much like in the cases of former Sox stars, the negative reports come out right after their exits from the franchise, instead of as the situation developed. It's almost like the reporters wanted to save it until Devers was off the team to tarnish his reputation, which has been done to players time and time again by Boston.
Perhaps the best Manny Ramirez quote ever is this one from ESPN Deportes in 2008, right before Boston sent him to the Dodgers:
“During my years here, I’ve seen how they (the Red Sox) have mistreated other great players…The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy. I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don’t deserve me.”
-Manny Ramirez via ESPN Deportes
The best part about it, though, is the ending, which perfectly sums up the years of disgruntled Red Sox superstars. Manny concluded by emphasizing that he was not talking about the money, but rather the fact that he lacked "mental peace."
Yes, the Red Sox have surged into the playoff picture following the trade, and the vibes have shifted. That isn’t my concern. My issue with this whole debacle is the continued precedent of Boston disrespecting their homegrown superstars. Though the team has won the most Fall Classics since the turn of the century, basically every big name player has been kicked to the curb. The constant trading of stars and the refusal from a big market team to pay them is unheard of.
This trade, while still young, could result in Boston’s successes this year. However, it sets an unfortunate precedent that future stars Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer may get let go too early. We’ve seen this from Nomar to Ellsbury to Lester to Mookie to Xander and now, to Raffy. Why would owner John Henry change his ways in the future, and what makes people believe that next time is different? I 100% agree with the unnamed GM’s quote.
How This Could Have Been Avoided:
I believe this situation was easily avoidable, and a solution can be broken down into 3 simple steps.
1. Communicate properly during the offseason.
Boston was in talks with the Cardinals to trade for excellent 3B Nolan Arenado before they signed Bregman. It would have been best to at least give your franchise player some sort of notice that they were looking to bring in another person at his position. Clearly from his reaction in February, communication between management and Devers was broken down.
2. Don’t listen to computer models to the extent that Breslow did.
Campbell’s defensive struggles were obvious. What was the point of handing him the starting 2B job with his lack of experience at the position? Putting Bregman at second, keeping Raffy at third, and DH-ing Masataka Yoshida would have created a very good lineup that doesn’t strike out, something that the team struggled with mightily during their rocky first couple months. It was clear early on that Campbell wasn’t ready defensively, and his poor performance on the dirt might have led to a lack of confidence at the plate as well.
Easing both KC and Devers into their new roles, while getting a great contact bat in Yoshida in the lineup would have been a very good way to create offensive and defensive balance. Starting Campbell and introducing him to new defensive alignments (in the OF and at 1B) put a lot on the inexperienced 22-year old’s plate.
3. Introduce Devers to 1B.
I covered this in more depth above, but it was pretty stupid of Breslow and Cora to not have Devers start taking grounders at first. With organizational depth stretched very thin at the position, having him start the fundamentals of the opposite corner would have been a smart way to add depth there, while also allowing Raffy to continue to be on the dirt.
Gordo’s Opinion:
While communicating with Gordo, a respected Red Sox reporter, co-host of the “Play Tessie” podcast, and of course a fan of the team, I wanted to know two things. First, I was curious about his initial reaction to the deal. Then, I wanted to know his thoughts on the trade's long-term effects. His answer to both was quite intriguing, but also mirrors what most of the fanbase feels.
On his initial reaction, Gordo told me the following;
“My initial reaction was just disappointment on all sides. Disappointment that the team put themselves in a position to have their best and longest-tenured player turn on them. Disappointment that the coaching staff and clubhouse couldn’t fix it internally. Disappointment that Devers was so opposed to doing what was needed for the team that it forced the team to take such drastic action. And at the time, disappointment that it felt like the team was going to go down the tubes yet again.”
This is how most fans felt. While it isn’t the exact same situation as Nomar, Manny, Lester, or Mookie, all of them are similar. A fan-favorite became disgruntled and the team was unable to rectify the situation. Devers does hold a lot more blame than the aforementioned players, but the same trend has continued for over 20 years.
As for the trade's long-term effects, Gordo gave me a unique perspective as to why the front office felt it was time to move on;
“As for its impact on the long term, they felt they needed to make this deal to show their young emerging core that this is not how things are done in winning organizations… Raffy’s behavior was not normal or okay. They’re trying to create a winning culture and the deal serves to make sure their kids have the right environment to grow in. It also opens up some salary for them to spend on other talent in the (hopefully) near future.”
His take on what the deal does is partly why Breslow and his posse did it, which was to clear money off the books to go make deals. I do also agree with Gordo’s first part of his statement on the future. Trading Devers hands the keys over to the kids while also letting a winning culture take over, which has done so in the month following the trade. It's early, but so far the team has been able to flip the script, both in the clubhouse and on the field.
The last thing that Gordo said to me, I thought, was the most important point, and something that all Sox fans have been feeling ever since Mookie left town;
“It (the trade) also further adds to the distrust between ownership and Red Sox fans. They now yet again need to prove that they’re not in this to save every dollar.”
This is a perfect quote to describe the front office and ownership. They don’t want to spend the money to win games and championships. They want to build from within, but have struggled to do so in recent years and have become a laughing stock. Principal owner John Henry has a chance to change the narrative this trade deadline. Like Gordo said earlier, they have the money to make deals, but it's up to Henry and ownership to let management go for it.
What’s Next?
For the Giants, it's pretty simple. Though Raffy has struggled in San Fran, I’d expect that he wakes up soon. The shock of the trade combined with moving from the hitter-friendly Fenway Park to the deep and cavernous Oracle Park does require an adjustment. San Francisco finally got their star. After missing out on Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, they are getting an elite power bat who is in the middle of his prime. Yes, the backend of his career may not be the best, but for the next 3-5 seasons, the Giants have an anchor in their lineup.
For the Red Sox, it's a lot more confusing. Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are the future, but they still have stars on the wrong side of 30, like Alex Bregman and Trevor Story, that make their window for contention complicated. There have been rumors that Bregman is open to extension, but I just don't agree with it. Bregman is an older player, with a more concerning injury history, and doesn’t pack the punch that Devers did in the box. With players like OF Ceddanne Rafaela and RHP Brayan Bello locked up long term, Boston has the ability to go out and buy their way to the top of the majors.
However, given their track record during the last few seasons and their “full-throttle” promises, I just cannot trust ownership to do the right thing. Time and time again, this front office and ownership group have failed to build a contender. They have no excuse not to go out and buy at the trade deadline. Loads of cash have been freed up, the young guys are getting hot, the team is getting healthy, Crochet and Chapman have anchored their respective sides of the pitching staff, and other pitchers like Bello have picked up the slack. It's time for Breslow to actually do his job. He traded away another fan-favorite in a move that gave them the ability to hand out more contracts. Breslow needs to use the flexibility to make deals that push this team to the top. No more fancy talk, Bres, you need to put your words into action. Don’t let this be another Mookie…
Final Thoughts:
I now see the baseball logic for the Devers deal, like I see the basketball logic for the Mavericks moving on from Luka Dončić, but it still doesn’t mean that it was a smart trade. Trading your best player, one who is set to be on your team for the rest of his career, instead of trying to rectify the situation you’ve put yourself in, is just not a good look for Breslow and his crew. There is a very real possibility that the moves they make don’t amount to anything, and that Hicks, Harrison, and Tibbs end up falling on their faces as a return.
The 2025 Boston Red Sox came into this year as championship contenders, and despite this trade, they still should be. The new money and financial freedom will allow Boston to add top talent at the deadline. The only question is if they will. Over the past couple seasons, they haven’t.
Will this campaign be different, or just another disappointing chapter in this decade of BoSox baseball?
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