Sox have been better at Fenway. I don't see them getting their doors blown off or anything. My guess is the team rallies around the fact that none of the current 26 were traded away.
It has just been a lot of half measures since DD for the most part.
The notable moves:
Vaz trade prior to the deadline (Abreu/Valdez), but Sox backed off from selling other vets afterwards
Sale salary dump
Crochet trade
Devers salary dump
He was having his first taste of AA pitching. There's a learning curve there for many hitters. He had zero problems in "A ball." Per SoxProspects, he profiled as a corner OFer. Not sure how that's a guy w/o a position. Sox moved him around, because that's what they seem to do with a lot of players. The also have a huge lack of 1b in the system and need to throw everyone there to see if someone sticks.
It's not really the other way IMO.
Priester (P) for Holobetz (P), Rodriguez (OF), Phillips (P)
Breslow probably believed whoever they took with the Phillips pick would be as good as Priester eventually and they used it on a pitcher, not a hitter.