The consensus in the media and especially among the fanbase is that the Boston Red Sox did not do a good job in the Rafael Devers trade with the San Francisco Giants.
The deal, which was announced Sunday, was stunning. The Red Sox had just completed an impressive sweep of the rival New York Yankees at Fenway Park. For the first time all season, the Red Sox had built some real positive momentum.
And then, just like that, the face of the franchise was gone. And the group of players Boston received in return for an All-Star caliber player in Devers looks, at least on paper, to be underwhelming.
But not everyone views the trade that way.
MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand spoke to several executives across the league to get their opinions on the trade. One National League executive actually thinks the Red Sox “did well” in the deal.
“They definitely got some good players with upside, so when you combine those guys with whatever they get with the repurposed Devers money, I think the Red Sox did well,” an NL executive told Feinsand.
“But far more important than the player return is the fact that they were able to move Devers and all of his money. They just signed him, so to have changed their mind on that kind of commitment so quickly really means that they felt they had to move him, which is a really difficult spot to be in. They moved quickly, kept it quiet, and pulled it off.”
An anonymous American League exec also thought the Red Sox did OK based on the situation.
“It’s a pretty good return considering that Boston didn’t have many options,” an AL executive told Feinsand. “I think there was a path to get him to first base — maybe in 2026 — but that would have required some serious diplomacy on [chief baseball officer Craig] Breslow’s part. And in the meantime, they had nowhere to go with [DH Masataka] Yoshida. I was surprised they got real talent back while moving all of that money.”
If any of the four players the Red Sox acquired from the Giants makes a positive impact in Boston, that would obviously make the deal look a lot better. But this trade will ultimately be judged on how the Red Sox upgrade their roster with the money they saved by getting rid of Devers’ contract. His deal had eight years and about $254 million remaining, and that’s a significant amount of money.
For example, if the Red Sox use this money to acquire a starting pitcher who can be an ace alongside Garrett Crochet, then the deal will look a lot different. But it’s up to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to find the most effective way of using the team’s new financial flexibility.
