SEATTLE — In their franchise-altering shocker of a trade of Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday evening, the Red Sox obtained something other than a pair of pitchers and a couple of prospects: flexibility.
It won’t nearly make up in the immediate term for subtracting their best hitter from a lineup built around him, but it nonetheless is a major variable in the club’s stunning new reality.
Here is a look at what that flexibility — financial and otherwise — means for the Sox in the weeks and years ahead.
⋅ Alex Cora has a full DH spot to play with. Devers — by virtue of being moved off third base by team decision-makers in favor of Alex Bregman and his refusal to play first base in the wake of Triston Casas’s season-ending injury — had designated hitter locked down. Cora said as recently as Saturday that he expected Devers to DH the rest of the season. That was working out fine, given his All-Star production. Now, Cora and the Red Sox can use that playing time to work in plenty of others.
Maybe that means Masataka Yoshida escapes rehab purgatory. More than nine months removed from surgery on his right shoulder, Yoshida looks like a full, normal, healthy player when taking batting practice on the field with teammates, but during defensive drills he clearly is a work in progress, particularly in trying to build arm strength. With the DH spot available, perhaps the Sox will be comfortable carrying Yoshida as a hitter only — playing against righthanded pitchers in particular — while he tries to get back into outfield shape.
Having DH open also makes it easier to continue to give the rookie triumvirate — Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell — regular reps, even when Wilyer Abreu (expected Friday) and Bregman (probably in a few weeks) return from injury. The Sox’ theoretical 2025 playoff push now will rely on the Big Three playing up to expectations quickly, and in theory it should be easier for young players to be productive if they play regularly.
Then there are the likes of Romy Gonzalez and Rob Refsnyder, who have earned a special place in Cora’s heart and lineup by beating up lefthanded pitchers. They had been playing at the expense of Mayer and Anthony recently, but now there are more at-bats to go around.
Cora already had been managing a mix-and-match, platoon-heavy group of position players. That will be the case even more so without one of the best hitters in baseball.
⋅ Craig Breslow can take on major money at the trade deadline. Contending teams often earmark a certain amount of cash to add salary come July. With the rest of Devers’s $27.5 million load for this season off the books, that is even more true for the Red Sox.
Of course, whether the Sox actually are buyers at the July 31 deadline is to be decided. It will depend on how they play the next six weeks, and the front office, to be sure, have greatly raised the degree of difficulty for those on the field.
Entering this week, though, they are only a half-game back of the last American League wild-card spot. By ripping off five wins in a row (and seven of eight and 10 of 15), they put themselves right back in the mix — part of why the timing of dealing Devers is so curious.
The Sox’ biggest needs are TBD, but any of a bona fide No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet, a full-time first baseman, and high-leverage bullpen options figure to be on the list. If club officials still view winning as a priority in 2025, their actions will mean a lot more than their words, and they should be able to flex significant financial might in making difference-making midseason additions, not the half-measures from a year ago.
⋅ John Henry and ownership get another shot at signing a franchise cornerstone. This time, maybe they will prioritize a player more comfortable with the leadership and off-field responsibilities receiving a mega-deal entails, the sort of expected extras that Devers expressed reservations about almost immediately upon agreeing to an 11-year, $331 million marriage in January 2023 — a contract that remains the largest in franchise history.
Divorced, the Sox can find another high-end suitor — even if it means waiting for the right player.
A complicating factor: In the mere 29 months since Devers signed, the going rate for truly elite talent has gone up. Consider the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero ($500 million over 14 years) the first beneficiary of Shohei Ohtani reaching and Juan Soto surpassing the $700 million threshold. When the Red Sox are ready to hand out another contract in this category, expect it to break Devers’s record.
The Sox could funnel some of these funds to early-career long-term deals for the likes of Anthony and Mayer, along the lines of what Campbell got at the start of the season.
But without Devers, they have room for another established star. Bregman, who can opt out of his contract after this season, may well be at the top of the list. Kyle Tucker is probably the headliner in this offseason’s free-agent class; we’ll see if the Sox deem themselves set in the outfield. Ace Tarik Skubal looks like the biggest name leading into the 2027 season.
When the Sox take another shot, they will need to be sure it’s with the right guy.
Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.
