Rafael Devers rocked the boat with the Boston Red Sox when he publicly criticized the club’s front office for asking him to play first base in the aftermath of teammate Triston Casas’s season-ending injury. In Boston’s eyes, Devers, a third baseman by trade who was already forced out of his natural position after the signing of Alex Bregman, wouldn’t have to strain hard to learn the tricks of the trade to shift to the other corner of the diamond. In Devers’s eyes, it’s just another unreasonable ask by a front office that already pushed one undesirable change on him this spring.
Red Sox owner John Henry, joined by chief baseball officer Crag Breslow and president Sam Kennedy, met with the disgruntled slugger on Friday afternoon, resulting in an “honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox,” per Breslow.
That doesn’t exactly sound like the trio sang kumbaya together, but it does at least sound like the sort of productive conversation that could get things moving in the right direction. Nevertheless, the mere fact that there was even a meeting tells us the Red Sox are taking Devers’s comments, a rare public rebuke of an organization’s chief decision maker, seriously enough to get the team owner involved.
Add in a Mass Live report that some players on the Red Sox are reportedly displeased with Devers’s behavior and it paints the picture of a pretty precarious situation. Before we move into speculative waters, let’s be clear about one thing: the Red Sox very likely won’t trade Devers, who in January of 2023 signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, cementing his status as the face of the franchise.
But given how much things have unraveled in just a few short months, it’s not entirely inconceivable to imagine a scenario where the Red Sox seek to trade Devers to clear a potential lingering clubhouse issue, augment an already robust farm system and decrease salary commitments. And that’s the fine line where we’ll operate in this fun exercise.
There seem to be three potential primary landing spots that make the most sense, as well as a few notable long shots. Any team targeting Devers must be close enough to contention to warrant making such a trade and have the resources to take on the 28-year-old’s gargantuan contract, which costs roughly $28 million annually through 2033. A good farm system is a plus—while it’s unclear how much prospect capital it’d take to obtain Devers considering the megadeal he’d come with, one imagines Boston would have to acquire some solid talent to part ways with their offensive cornerstone. Oh, and the trade partner would have to have a place for Devers to play, be it at third base or as designated hitter. (Don’t you dare say first base!)
So, with that criteria in mind, let’s dive into some potential destinations.
Farm system rank: 8th
Position available for Devers: 3B, DH
2025 payroll: $193,203,383
The Cubs’ farm system is armed with the type of young, MLB-ready talent that would make the Red Sox salivate. And would you look at that, the Cubs just so happen to have an opening at third base, where the incumbent Jon Berti and his .644 OPS currently reside after prospect Matt Shaw badly struggled there early on.
While the Cubs’ willingness to take on a contract as large as Devers’s is up for debate, it would be the mother-of-all insurance policies should National League MVP candidate and free-agent-to-be Kyle Tucker depart this winter. Adding Devers, a three-time All-Star who owns a career .854 OPS, to a powerful Cubs lineup would be a fascinating gambit by Chicago’s front office. The Cubs are leading the NL Central and could very well contend for the club’s first pennant since 2016.
Farm system rank: 17th
Positions available for Devers: 3B?
2025 payroll: $282,625,817
The Phillies’ farm system doesn’t boast the same volume of talent as the Cubs’, but Philadelphia does possess the kind of young pitchers (No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter, No. 5 prospect Moises Chace, No. 8 prospect Mick Abel) that would entice the Red Sox. And there’s no doubting the Phillies’ status as contenders—they’re just three years removed from reaching the World Series and two years removed from reaching the NLCS. They could, however, use a spark to reverse their trend of exiting the postseason earlier with each passing year, and Phillies owner John Middleton isn’t afraid to spend his fortune.
The only roadblock? Alec Bohm, a 2024 All-Star, currently mans third base for the Phillies. But would that really stop Philadelphia from swinging for the fences with a Devers trade, especially considering Bohm’s slow start and below-average power stroke? And how fun would it be seeing Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski coordinating a blockbuster trade with one of the teams he used to run?
Farm system rank: 13th
Positions available for Devers: 3B
2025 payroll: $112,892,271
The Juan Soto trade is bearing fruit in the form of James Wood (.926 OPS), CJ Abrams (.304 BA, eight stolen bases) and MacKenzie Gore (3.33 ERA, MLB-high 68 strikeouts). How about adding the 28-year-old Devers as a proven frontline piece to Washington’s tantalizing young core? It’s the sort of move that could push up the Nationals’ contention window and show they’re serious about ending a postseason drought that dates back to 2020. With Washington’s third basemen combining for just 0.1 fWAR (22nd in MLB) this season, the hot corner is there for the taking in D.C.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The defending champs boast a seemingly limitless payroll, a loaded farm system and a third base situation that could use an upgrade given the struggles of 37-year-old Max Muncy. You can never count out the Dodgers to make a splash, but could the Red Sox really stomach sending another homegrown superstar to Los Angeles to join Mookie Betts?
Milwaukee Brewers
A perennial playoff contender with plenty of trade ammo and an opening at the hot corner. Would they want to take on his contract, though?
New York Mets
This doesn’t really seem like David Stearns’s style, but Steve Cohen’s wallet, the Mets’ farm system and available at bats at DH make this conceivable. Plus, Lindor-Soto-Devers-Alonso would be MLB’s version of lions, tigers and bears, oh my!
