Boston Red Sox Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves After Rafael Devers Trade
The Red Sox are acting like a farm system
The Boston Red Sox did it again. They actually did it again. They let one of their homegrown stars get away.
Mookie Betts, the year before he reached free agency, traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Xander Bogaerts, left in free agency to sign with the San Diego Padres. And now this.
With no warning, the Red Sox traded 28-year-old superstar Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, shocking the baseball world. Devers is in the midst of yet another outstanding offensive season, with a 148 weighted runs created plus, a comprehensive offensive stat where 100 is league average. He's on pace for the best offensive season of his career, is still in his peak, and has upped his walk rate to a Juan Soto-like 16.8%.
He was also signed and developed by the Red Sox, has deferrals that lower the average and total value of his 10-year, $313.5 million contract, and seems to have taken to being a designated hitter.
It brings up the obvious question: what in the world were the Red Sox thinking? Saving money? Acquiring more pitching? When it comes down to it, the answer doesn't really matter. Because there's no justification for one of Major League Baseball's premier organizations to operate this way.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 13: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in the tenth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 13, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
Rafael Devers Trade Another Embarrassment For Red Sox
The return for Devers was laughably light.
Jordan Hicks, a swingman type with a 6.47 ERA and $12.5 million annual salary through 2027. Kyle Harrison, a younger pitcher who's now made 35 starts and been a blow average starter. James Tibbs III was a first-round draft pick, but Fangraphs describes him as having the "look of a good platoon outfielder," who has to "hit upper-level lefties" to play an everyday role. There's also Jose Bello, who doesn't currently rank in the Red Sox top 30 prospects. And that's it.
The underlying motivation for the Red Sox side of the deal is clear: they were frustrated that Devers didn't want to move to first base. Team Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said as much to the media when addressing the stunning trade.
"It’s the willingness to step up and sacrifice at times of need and essentially do whatever is necessary to help the team win," Breslow said when describing winning teams. "I think that’s the identity, this relentless pursuit of winning, that we’re looking for."
In that argument, both sides have a case. Devers believes moving positions is difficult, especially midseason, and the Red Sox believe that for $30 million per year, you should do whatever it takes to help the team win. It's easy to see the perspectives. In theory.
In practice, however, the Red Sox have not earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to trading home-grown players. The Betts trade was an abject failure. He signed an extension with the Dodgers to finish his career in LA, while every one of the players Boston acquired is gone, except for Connor Wong. Wong has contributed 1.3 wins above replacement in parts of five seasons. Betts? He's won two World Series in LA, contributed 27.1 WAR, moved positions multiple times, and made himself into an above-average shortstop.
Yes, letting Bogaerts leave turned out to be the correct call, but Boston's been unable to find consistent production at shortstop since he went to San Diego.
Beyond the baseball concerns though, there's a bigger issue here: the Red Sox should not be trading away superstar players. Because they're the Red Sox. This is the kind of behavior we expect from the Pittsburgh Pirates, or the Tampa Bay Rays, because their ownership refuses to spend money.
The Red Sox though? They have money. A lot of money. They should be using it to acquire more talent, not sending their best player across the country in what amounts to a salary dump. This current Red Sox brain trust may not even be in Boston in a few seasons, especially given how mediocre the team has been in 2025. But Devers is likely to anchor a lineup for years to come.
It's embarrassing that the Red Sox organization has now let its three best home-grown players leave in the past five years. It's embarrassing that the return for those players was Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, Connor Wong, Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs III, and nothing. The Red Sox, quite simply, have to do better.