The Boston Red Sox followed up their blockbuster Rafael Devers trade with an immediate move involving one of their new pitchers. The Red Sox shocked the MLB world as they swept their bitter rival, the New York Yankees. The front office dealt the three-time All-Star, who, despite having an adverse offseason, is one of the best hitters in the league. But Devers is now on the San Francisco Giants, and the Red Sox decided to get much younger with the talent they acquired in this trade.

One of the newest headline additions is left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison. The 23-year-old was among the top pitching prospects heading into the 2024 season. Harrison started in 24 games that year, compiling a record of 7-7 with a 4.56 ERA. The Red Sox, however, have announced that Harrison has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

The other players coming onto the roster are 28-year-old pitcher Jordan Hicks and a pair of minor league prospects, outfielder James Tibbs and right-handed pitcher Jose Bello. Tibbs III is a very interesting prospect with high upside as the former No. 13 pick in last season's draft.

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Trading Devers additionally allows the Red Sox to get off his ten-year, $313,500,000 contract, which ends in 2033. That said, it's not surprising that Red Sox fans are perplexed at the timing of the move. Boston has won seven out of its past eight games, with five of those victories coming against the Yankees.

This team just eclipsed the .500 win mark and was starting to look like the group that was supposed to break a three-year playoff drought. Devers, despite his attitude issues, is still in the middle of his prime and was on a tear after a slow start to the season. But what's done is done, and now the Red Sox will look to stay competitive even after losing their best hitter.

There is still plenty of talent at the plate for Boston. Alex Bregman has been terrific in his 51 games of action, while the Red Sox have several young prospects rounding into form. It won't be easy to stay competitive in the AL East with four teams ahead of Boston. The Yankees are still the divisional favorite, but the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are slowly gaining traction in this race. It's a long road back to relevance in Boston, but despite the perplexing nature of the trade, the future should be bright for the franchise.