It could be called the Trade Heard ‘Round the World — or at least throughout Major League Baseball. On June 15, the Boston Red Sox traded their highest paid player — who was also their longest-tenured player, and top homegrown star — Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for a package of prospects and young pitchers.
The trade stunned Red Sox fans and even MLB insiders. But as Boston president of baseball operations Craig Breslow later explained, the trade stemmed not from Devers’ performance — he posted a .905 OPS with 15 home runs at the time of the deal — but from his behavior, and its effect on Red Sox clubhouse culture.
When the Red Sox signed free agent Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract, Devers flatly refused to give up his spot at third to make way for the clearly superior fielder. He eventually relented and assumed the designated hitter role.
Difficult Devers Rebuffed Red Sox Owner
Later, after Boston first baseman Triston Casas suffered a severe knee injury on May 2, ruling him out for the season, Devers refused to so much as take ground balls at first base to see if he could man the position.
Even when Red Sox owner John Henry, who generally assumes a hands-off stance toward players, made a special flight to Kansas City where the Red Sox were playing on May 9, to personally appeal to Devers about the first base move, Devers defied him, saying “it’s not my fault that players get hurt.”
When Devers arrived in San Francisco, he told reporters that he finally felt “happy” for the first time in “a long time.”
But now, less than four weeks later, questions are being raised about Devers’ attitude and actions with the Giants — and the reports have led to new speculation that the 28-year-old playing just the second season of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, could be traded again.
Specifically, according to the reports, despite announcing that he was now willing to play first base for San Francisco, when Giants legend Will Clark — often mentioned among the top defensive first-baseman ever — showed up to personally tutor Devers, the newly acquired star stood up the five-time All-Star three days in a row.
Potential Bizarre Twist in Devers Trade Saga
In a bizarre twist, the possible trade destination for Devers, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, is the Red Sox arch-rival and perennial American League East competitor, the New York Yankees.
Granted, Heyman calls the chance of the Yankees — who are reportedly in the market for a third baseman at the trade deadline — an “extreme long shot.” But according to Yankees analyst Inna Zeyger of Pinstripes Nation, the possibility is “not unthinkable.”
“Stranger things have happened. No one expected Boston to part with their franchise player. And no one expected the Giants — who already carry a bloated payroll and positional logjam — to be the destination,” Zeyger wrote.
“For the Yankees, third base remains an unsettled position. Oswald Peraza is no longer a factor. DJ LeMahieu, though healthy, is aging and inconsistent,” the Pinstripes Nation writer concluded. “With the trade deadline approaching, New York is casting a wide net, targeting both short-term rentals and long-term solutions.”
Yankees Tabbed to Trade For $313 Million Star After Troubling Report Out of SF