Article: Everyone Deserves Blame For the Rafael Devers Trade Debacle

[Daniel Fox]

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. 

After trading Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers and refusing to match the insane contract the San Diego Padres gave to Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox finally paid up for a franchise cornerstone. By giving Rafael Devers a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension, the club ensured that at least one of the pillars of the 2018 championship team would remain intact. It wasn’t hard to imagine Devers anchoring the Red Sox lineup for the next decade, leading the Red Sox to more postseason glory, reaching the 500 home run milestone, and possibly entering Cooperstown in a Red Sox hat. 

Less than two and half years later, he's gone, traded unceremoniously to the Giants for a couple of intriguing-but-uncertain pieces, none of which will replace the gaping hole in the Red Sox's order. Though the end was abrupt and shocking, it was a culmination of a series of events that strained the relationship between team and superstar to the point of no return. 

Every time there is a divorce of this magnitude, fans and media are quick to point the finger at one side. While I do ultimately believe that Craig Breslow and Co. brutally mismanaged this situation, Devers is not without blame. The way that he handled both the move to designated hitter and the request to move to first base after the Triston Casas injury was deplorable. Let’s start with the DH move. It is no secret that Devers is a poor defensive third baseman. He certainly has the talent to make every play, but he became the symbol of the Red Sox’s defensive ineptitude of the last four seasons with his inconsistency and propensity to make routine errors. From 2021-2024, Devers led all third basemen with 67 errors, accumulating a dismal -29 Outs Above Average during that spend. 

It seemed to be a forgone conclusion that the signing of Alex Bregman, the reigning American League Gold Glove winner at the hot corner, would result in Devers shifting to designated hitter and making the Red Sox a far better defensive unit. Yet, that’s not how Devers saw it, and he spent his first media availability of spring training stubbornly claiming, “I’m a third baseman.” Devers eventually relented, and after a historically brutal start, he began to post some of the best offensive numbers of his career. All seemed to be have been forgiven and forgotten until Casas suffered his season-ending knee injury, leaving a gaping hole at first base.

As any general manager would have done in the situation, Breslow approached Devers and asked him about the idea of moving to first base. Yet, rather than quietly decline the offer, let alone agree to take reps at first, Devers again went to the media, this time blasting Breslow by saying, “I’m not certain what his issue is with me.” This kicked the circus back into high gear, and though Devers eventually quieted the controversy with a dominant month of May, it is now clear that the relationship was beyond repair. With Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida set to return in the coming weeks, the situation had reached a breaking point, and a deal was struck. 

Now, are there players who would have swallowed their egos and done what the team asked them to without complaint? Of course there are. Bryce Harper moved from right field to first base when Rhys Hoskins left the Philadelphia Phillies. Miguel Cabrera moved from third base to first base and back to third base when the Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder and eventually realized he wasn’t the answer. Yet, Rafael Devers, for better or worse, isn’t that kind of player. He prided himself on being a third baseman, and thinking that he would be okay with being told to move to DH a week before the season was a gross miscalculation from the Red Sox front office. 

Regardless of who you want to blame, there is no denying that this is a truly dark day for the organization. No team should trade their best hitter in the middle of the playoff race, let alone a franchise cornerstone who has been one of the most consistent bats in baseball for almost a decade. What makes it worse is that it was entirely of their own doing. Yes, Devers could have handled things better, but a complete disregard for the person rather than the player led to an unsalvageable situation. 

I remain steadfast in the belief that Breslow has done a lot of good things since he became Chief Baseball Officer, and that the organization as a whole is in a far better place than the day Chaim Bloom got fired. Yet, while the Garrett Crochet and Carlos Narvaez trades were huge wins and the Chris Sale trade was a massive loss, this trade and what Breslow does with all the added financial flexibility will ultimately define his legacy and perhaps the next decade of Red Sox baseball.

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[Bellhorn04]

No question this is a defining move for Breslow.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

2 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

No question this is a defining move for Breslow.

I think what he does with the money will be his defining moment, provided jh allows him to spend it.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

I think firing Cora will be his defining moment.  Fortunately for Cora, the trade reduces the talent level temporarily which grants Cora a reprieve if he can't win with the team as it is now.  That's why Breslow must do something to raise the talent level once again.  I wouldn't be shocked if more big trades come out of nowhere before the all-star break.  Breslow needs to add pitching and needs to upgrade a hitter in the line-up if the team is to compete.  I would love to see Breslow trade for Cal Raleigh to upgrade our catching.   With Story around for a few more years maybe Breslow gets Raleigh and Woo and gives up Mayer, Abreu, Jordan and Valera.  Raleigh will partially replace Devers stats immediately while the youngsters continue to develop and Woo gives you an arm better than Buehler.  It would mean lots of low scoring games in 2025, but the pitching would be much improved, and Raleigh is a force behind the plate. 

[mvp 78]

27 minutes ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

I would love to see Breslow trade for Cal Raleigh to upgrade our catching. 

It's not good enough that we have the second highest fWAR catcher. We need the highest fWAR catcher! 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

50 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

It's not good enough that we have the second highest fWAR catcher. We need the highest fWAR catcher! 

Yes because Narvaez hasn't done it before and could struggle as the year progresses but Raleigh is a monster who has built an excellent reputation.  He IS the best catcher in baseball.  If Narvaez is the second best then we have an advantage over EVERY team at ONE position.  Plus, he's a home run hitter and we need the power to replace a major portion of the power lost by Devers.