‘Something amiss here.' Craig Breslow, Sam Kennedy address reasoning behind the Rafael Devers's trade

Boston Globe

5 hours ago

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Asked if Devers had requested a trade, Breslow said the player's representatives 'had indicated that perhaps a fresh start would be best for both sides. … This does represent that chance to reset on our end, and for Raffy to get a fresh start.'
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The Red Sox seemmindful of a reset for the team. Breslow suggested the team — which, despite a five-game winning streak entering Monday's game in Seattle, had a 37-36 record that left them in fourth place in the AL East — was one in which the whole was not greater than the sum of its parts.
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'There was something amiss here,' he said. 'And it was something that we needed to act decisively to course correct.'
He added that the team is taking particular care to create the right culture given that the Sox have a young core now on the roster.
Top prospect Roman Anthony, 21, was called up last week, joining 22-year-olds Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell as rookies on the team. The trade of Devers, said Breslow, could reinforce putting the team's interests above those of individual players and also, in removing a full-time DH, open playing time for a group of lefthanded outfielders featuring Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu, the latter of whom will likely to return from the injured list this week.
That said, Devers had been the Red Sox' best hitter, and one of the best in the big leagues this year. He hit .272 with a .401 OBP (fifth in the American league), .504 slugging mark (sixth), and 15 homers (sixth). He played in all 73 games this year, with the designated hitter role seemingly helping him to stay on the field. His absence will be felt.
'Good luck losing your best bat playing the Mariners and Giants pitching staff[s] this week,' said one National League evaluator, taking stock of the Sox' current West Coast swing against two of the elite staffs in baseball.
So, given that the Red Sox announced they're prioritizing winning in 2025 over the future, how does the move make sense? After all, the Sox did not land a single player who will contribute in the short term.
The four-player package featured a hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks) who is on the injured list, a talented but unproven starter (Kyle Harrison) who was sent to TripleA Worcester after the deal, as well as a pair of minor league prospects (outfielder James Tibbs III and righthander Jose Bello) who are in the lower minors.
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'I acknowledge that on paper, we're not going to have the same lineup that we did. But this isn't about the game that is played on paper,' said Breslow. 'I think when you consider the flexibility, the ability to give some of the young players some run, the opportunity to maybe repackage some of the resources [acquired in the trade — both in terms of young talent and financial flexibility] and fill some voids in the roster as early as approaching this year's deadline, and being really intentional about the environment that we create for these young players to thrive in, then I do think that there is a real chance that at the end of the season, we're looking back, and we've won more games than we otherwise would have.'
Some members of the industry have wondered whether the Sox got the best possible return, and if they could have gotten more teams involved in pursuing Devers by waiting until the trade deadline or offseason to make a deal. Breslow, however, said the team talked to multiple teams about the 28-year-old, and ultimately concluded that the deal offered by the Giants was sufficient to justify a trade of a franchise star.
Kennedy and Breslow dismissed the idea that the move was motivated by an effort to shed the remaining $254 million owed to Devers — all of which the Giants will pay over the remaining 8½ years of Devers's 10-year, $313.5 million contract. Breslow said the money freed by the deal could help the team upgrade its roster at the July 31 trade deadline, with the team right now likely to look at pitching help (both starters and relievers) as well as first base options.
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The intent of the trade, said Breslow, was to improve the team's chances of reaching the playoffs this year, rather than to punt on the remainder of the season.
'Ultimately, we believe that we're positioning the organization to win a bunch of games, both in 2025 and beyond,' said Breslow. '[It's] important to point out that this is in no way signifying a waving of the white flag on 2025. We are as committed as we were six months ago to putting a winning team on the field, to competing for the division and making a deep postseason run.'
Whether this trade pushes the team closer to or further from that goal will be an ongoing source of scrutiny for the next three and a half months.
Alex Speier can be reached at