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With the shocking trade that the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, there is no doubt that the baseball world was left stunned by the deal. There were reportedly even baseball executives surprised by the Red Sox trade of Devers, but the latest from Ken Rosenthal looks at the thinking of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
Devers signed a 10-year, $313,500,000 contract with Boston, and even though the 28-year-old was the team's best player, Rosenthal says in his new column that they could still “come out ahead.” This is if Breslow can put the released money now “to good use.”
“The only question that matters, in the wake of the Boston Red Sox showing Rafael Devers who’s the boss, is this: Are the Sox a better team?” Rosenthal asked for The Athletic. “For 2025, it’s difficult to imagine the answer is yes. Beyond that, the Sox might come out ahead, but only if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow puts the team’s savings on Devers — some $255 million over the next eight-plus seasons — to good use.”
The Red Sox got a “dubious return” for Rafael Devers
Despite the Red Sox fan base being astonished by the trade for Devers, the team in return received left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs, and another prospect, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. While Rosenthal would call it a “dubioius return” for the star player, he mentioned how Boston could “upstage themselves” since they're coming off recent success on the field.
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“Based on Breslow’s performance thus far, including his dubious return for Devers from the San Francisco Giants, believe it when you see it,” Rosenthal wrote. “There is no drama like Red Sox drama, and their latest messy divorce with a star player is one that figures to generate debate for some time. Only the Red Sox could upstage themselves after sweeping the New York Yankees for their third straight series win over a division rival and fifth straight victory overall.”
Looking at Passan, what his initial reporting was, the baseball world, including executives around MLB, was left “confounded” by the trade. Despite the Red Sox getting out of a big deal and getting talent, the surging team loses its “best hitter.”
“The Rafael Devers-to-San Francisco blockbuster has executives across baseball confounded. On one hand, the Red Sox got out from a deal every model in baseball has as underwater — and got talent back. On the other [hand], a team with talent and momentum just traded its best hitter.”
At any rate, Boston is currently 37-36, which puts them fourth in the AL East, as the team has won eight of their last 10 games and starts a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
