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Washington Post
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Red Sox baseball boss Breslow says Devers trade does not mean 'waving of the white flag on 2025'
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox thought they would be better off with a happy clubhouse than a disgruntled Rafael Devers. A day after trading their erstwhile third baseman to the San Francisco Giants, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy told reporters on Monday night that Devers' refusal to change positions made it untenable for him to remain with the team.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top prospect Roman Anthony powers Red Sox past Mariners with 1st career home run in 1st game after Rafael Devers trade
Times are tumultuous for the Red Sox. But there was reason to celebrate on Monday in Boston. Top prospect Roman Anthony hit his first career home run. It helped spark a 2-0 victory for the Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners. Advertisement The win came in Boston's first game after the stunning trade of All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito threw six shutout innings and was credited with the win. Red Sox brass addresses Devers trade before Monday's game Boston dealt Devers to the Giants on Sunday, sending the ninth-year Red Sox veteran across the country in a trade that sent shockwaves across MLB. Devers was the last remaining member of Boston's 2018 World Series championship team and appears to be on pace for his fifth straight All-Star appearance amid another standout season at the plate. Advertisement If he does make the All-Star Game, he'll do so as a Giant. The trade prompted hard questions for Red Sox executives Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy about the state of the organization prior to Monday's game. Once their media availability was over, it was time to get down to baseball. And for a night at least, baseball for Boston was a success, thanks in part to the No. 1 prospect. Anthony came to the plate with the bases empty in the top of the first inning. On a 2-2 count, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert threw a 96 mph fastball to the upper outside corner of the strike zone. Anthony reached across the plate and pulled a deep fly ball that carried over the right-center-field wall. Advertisement The home run was the first of Anthony's MLB career in his seventh game since Boston called him up for his big-league debut on June 9. It gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead that they never relinquished. The Red Sox had won five straight games since Anthony's call-up, including a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, before trading Devers. Monday marked their sixth straight victory, and they improved to 38-36. Questions will continue to swirl around why Boston chose to deal Devers as its season was starting to point up. But Red Sox fans can at least look forward to watching Anthony for the foreseeable future.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top prospect Roman Anthony powers Red Sox past Mariners with 1st career home run in 1st game since Rafael Devers trade
Times are tumultuous for the Red Sox. But there was reason to celebrate in Boston Monday night. Top prospect Roman Anthony hit his first career home run. It helped spark a 2-0 win for the Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners. Advertisement The win arrived in Boston's first game since the stunning trade of All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito was credited with the win after throwing six shutout innings. Red Sox brass addresses Devers trade before Monday's game Boston dealt Devers to the Giants Sunday afternoon, sending the ninth-year Red Sox veteran across the country in a trade that sent shockwaves across MLB. Devers was the last remaining member of Boston's 2018 World Series championship team and appears to be on pace for his fifth straight All-Star bid amid another standout season at the plate. If he does make the All-Star game, he'll do so as a Giant. The trade prompted hard questions for Red Sox executives Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy prior to Monday's game. Advertisement Once their media availability was over, it was time to get down to actual baseball. And, for a night at least, baseball for Boston was a success, thanks in part to baseball's No. 1 prospect. Anthony took the plate as the No. 3 hitter in the top of the first inning with the bases empty. With a 2-2 count, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert threw a 96 mph fastball to the upper outside corner of the strike zone. Anthony reached across the plate and pulled a deep fly ball that carried over the right centerfield wall. The home run was the first of Anthony's MLB career in his seventh MLB game since Boston called him up for his big-league debut on June 9. It gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead that they never relinquished. Advertisement The Red Sox had won five straight games since Anthony's call-up, including a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees before deciding to trade Devers. Monday marked their sixth straight win to improve to 38-36 and further improve their standing in the AL playoff race. Questions will continue to swirl around why exactly Boston chose to deal Devers as its season was starting to point up. But Red Sox fans can at least look forward to watching Anthony.
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Red Sox baseball boss Breslow says Devers trade does not mean 'waving of the white flag on 2025'
The Boston Red Sox believed maintaining a harmonious clubhouse was more important than keeping a disgruntled Rafael Devers. A day after trading their former third baseman to the San Francisco Giants, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy explained to reporters on Monday night that Devers's refusal to change positions made his continued presence on the team unsustainable. 'In terms of what was missing, it just was that alignment in terms of what we felt we needed from him that would be in the absolute best interest of the ball club,' Kennedy said. 'That's a non-starter for us. We have to have that. We couldn't get there. … So we made the decision that we made.' For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Less than two years after signing Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, the Red Sox sent him to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night for pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison and two prospects. The deal occurred on the same day Boston achieved a fifth consecutive win and completed a sweep of the rival New York Yankees–a rare reason for excitement this season. 'It was a shock for sure after the run that we just had this past week,' pitcher Garrett Crochet said in Seattle before Monday night's game against the Mariners. 'There's a lot of season ahead of us. So it's really just keeping your eyes forward and knowing that there's still work to be done.' When asked about the move's implications for this year's team, closer Aroldis Chapman said, 'I don't know. I don't really know.' Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow admitted on the conference call Sunday night that the deal creates a void in the lineup, but he expressed hope that it would ultimately benefit the team this season. He explained that although the team now needs a power hitter, they have gained roster and payroll flexibility to acquire players at the trade deadline. 'It's important to point out that this is in no way signifying a waving of the white flag on 2025,' he said. '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.' A homegrown, three-time All-Star who joined Ted Williams as the only Red Sox players to have multiple 30-home-run seasons before turning 25, Devers's relationship with the team deteriorated when the Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman this offseason. Devers, who led the league in errors for a third baseman in each of the last seven seasons, resisted moving to designated hitter and then declined to play either first or third base when Bregman and first baseman Triston Casas were both injured. 'We have a responsibility to do everything we can to improve the club. And we felt we were doing that by bringing Alex Bregman to the Red Sox,' Kennedy said. 'And we have a responsibility, ironically, to every single player in that clubhouse to do everything in our power to improve the club. So it was something that we were committed to doing. And I do not regret that for one minute.' But they lost Devers in the process. 'We worked at it. We had a different vision for him going forward that he had, and we couldn't get there. We couldn't find alignment,' Kennedy said. 'And we reached that inflection point and made the decision to make a big move.' The move shocked Red Sox fans, still resentful over the 2020 salary dump of Mookie Betts–a year after he won the AL MVP–in a trade that yielded little in return. The team also allowed Xander Bogaerts to leave as a free agent before deciding that Devers was the player in whom they were willing to invest. Now, just one full season later, he is gone, too. 'There's some reasons that it didn't work out,' manager Alex Cora said. 'But the last few months hasn't been easy. We made decisions in the offseason. Circumstances changed in the last month, and that's the business decision we made as an organization. Now Raffy is going to be with the Giants, and, like I said, we have to turn the page and be ready for this team.' Breslow insisted that the deal was not an attempt to reduce payroll–like the deals for Betts, who went on to win two World Series in Los Angeles, or Chris Sale, who won the NL Cy Young Award in his first season with the Braves. The baseball boss admitted to second-guessing himself regarding his handling of the Bregman signing, which surprised Devers, and the attempts to convince the 28-year-old All-Star to change positions. 'I think about that question all of the time,' Breslow said. 'This is not the outcome that we had expected. And it's forced me to reflect on the interactions that I've had not just with Raffy but with other players and opportunities to communicate differently.' The Red Sox' winning streak occurred while Bregman and outfielder Wilyer Abreu were injured, joining outfielder Masataka Yoshida and first baseman Triston Casas on the injured list. In their absence, the team has relied on call-ups like Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and top prospect Roman Anthony, whose major league debut last week generated considerable excitement. Breslow stated that the front office would continue to explore ways to improve the team, now needing a middle-of-the-lineup hitter. 'For some reason this team (is) an example where the hole was not greater than the sum of the parts,' he said. 'And being great teammates and sacrificing and stepping up for each other and embodying this shared vision, we believe that those are principles that we need to be faithful to. And so at the end of the season, I think we we could look back and say we've won more games than we otherwise would have,' he said, 'because of the way that this roster is now able to come together.'
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Red Sox baseball boss Breslow says Devers trade does not mean 'waving of the white flag on 2025'
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox thought they would be better off with a happy clubhouse than a disgruntled Rafael Devers. A day after trading their erstwhile third baseman to the San Francisco Giants, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy told reporters on Monday night that Devers' refusal to change positions made it untenable for him to remain with the team. 'In terms of what was missing, it just was that alignment in terms of what we felt we needed from him that would be in the absolute best interest of the ball club,' Kennedy said. 'That's a non-starter for us. We have to have that. We couldn't get there. … So we made the decision that we made.' Less than two years after signing Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, the Red Sox sent him to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night for pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison and a pair of prospects. The deal came on the day Boston earned a fifth straight win and completed a sweep of the rival New York Yankees – a rare cause for excitement this season. 'It was a shock for sure after the run that we just had this past week," pitcher Garrett Crochet said in Seattle before Monday night's game against the Mariners. 'There's a lot of season ahead of us. So, it's really just keeping your eyes forward and knowing that there's still work to be done.' Asked what the move means for this year's team, closer Aroldis Chapman said: 'I don't know. I don't really know.' Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow acknowledged on the conference call Sunday night that the deal leaves a hole in the lineup, but he hoped it would pay off this season. Although there is a newly created need for a power hitter, the team now has roster and payroll flexibility to add players at the trade deadline, he said. 'It's important to point out that this is in no way signifying a waving of the white flag on 2025,' he said. '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.' A homegrown, three-time All-Star who joined Ted Williams as the only Red Sox players to have multiple 30-homer seasons before turning 25, Devers' relationship with the team soured when it signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman this offseason. Devers, who led the league in errors for a third baseman in each of the last seven seasons, balked at moving to designated hitter and then refused to play either first or third position when Bregman and first baseman Triston Casas were both injured. 'We have a responsibility to do everything we can to improve the club. And we felt we were doing that by bringing Alex Bregman to the Red Sox,' Kennedy said. 'And we have a responsibility, ironically, to every single player in that clubhouse to do everything in our power to improve the club. So it was something that we were committed to doing. And I do not regret that for one minute.' But they lost Devers in the process. 'We worked at it. We had a different vision for him going forward that he had, and we couldn't get there. We couldn't find alignment,' Kennedy said. 'And we reached that inflection point and made the decision to make a big move.' The move came as a shock to Red Sox fans still salty over the salary dump of Mookie Betts in 2020 – a year after he won the AL MVP – in a trade that yielded little in return. The team also let Xander Bogaerts leave as a free agent before deciding that Devers was the player they were willing to invest in. Now, just one full season later, he's gone, too. 'There's some reasons that it didn't work out," manager Alex Cora said. "But the last few months hasn't been easy. We made decisions in the offseason. Circumstances changed in the last month and that's the business decision we made as an organization. Now Raffy is going to be with the Giants and like I said, we have to turn the page and be ready for this team.' Breslow insisted that the deal was not an attempt to cut payroll — like the deals for Betts, who went on to win two World Series in Los Angeles, or Chris Sale, who won the NL Cy Young Award in his first season with the Braves. The baseball boss acknowledged that he second-guessed himself over how he handled the Bregman signing, which caught Devers by surprise, and the attempts to get the 28-year-old All-Star to change positions. 'I think about that question all of the time,' Breslow said. "This is not the outcome that we had expected. And it's forced me to reflect on the interactions that I've had, not just with Raffy, but with other players and opportunities to communicate differently.' The Red Sox winning streak has come with Bregman and outfielder Wilyer Abreu injured, joining outfielder Masataka Yoshida and first baseman Triston Casas on the injured list. In their place, the team has relied on callups like Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and top prospect Roman Anthony, who made his major league debut to much hype last week. Breslow said the front office will continue to look for ways to improve the team, with a middle of the lineup hitter a new need. 'For some reason, this team (is) an example where the hole was not greater than the sum of the parts,' he said. "And being great teammates and sacrificing and stepping up for each other and embodying this shared vision, we believe that those are principles that we need to be faithful to. 'And so, at the end of the season, I think we we could look back and say we've won more games than we otherwise would have," he said, "because of the way that this roster is now able to come together.' ___ AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin in Seattle contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:
