The Boston Red Sox shocked the baseball world on Sunday evening when they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for a package of players that included pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison. It ended what has been a tumultuous season between Devers and the Red Sox over what position he would be playing, but it also ended something even bigger.
It ended the most recent championship era of the Red Sox franchise.
By trading Devers, the Red Sox roster now has zero players remaining from the team’s most recent World Series-winning team from 2018.
Devers was a 21-year-old rising star that season, hitting 21 home runs with a .740 OPS in what was his first full season in the big leagues.
From there, he developed into one of the best power-hitting third basemen in baseball and one of the cornerstone pieces to the Red Sox organization. He eventually signed a $331 million contract extension with the team in 2023.
The relationship, however, turned sour this season when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman in free agency to play third base, forcing Devers to become the team’s designated hitter. It was a move he was not in favor of, and was not shy in sharing that displeasure. The relationship soured even more when he was asked to temporarily play first base due to mounting injury issues at the position.
He also had no interest in playing that position and was again not shy about his stance on that potential move.
That tension, and the Red Sox’s belief that his contract should have resulted in a more team mindset, reportedly played a major role in the decision to move him for what amounts to pennies on the dollar.
Before trading Devers, the Red Sox traded superstar Mookie Betts off that 2018 team to the Los Angeles Dodgers for another underwhelming return, and also lost Xander Bogaerts in free agency to the San Diego Padres.
Since winning that World Series, the Red Sox have sunk closer to mediocrity than championship contender status. They have had just two winning seasons in the six full seasons that have followed, making the playoffs just one time. After sweeping the New York Yankees, they find themselves one game over .500, but moving Devers for that return is unlikely to get them closer to a World Series anytime soon.
