The baseball world was stunned after the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers for two San Francisco players, pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. The trade came just hours after Boston completed a three-game sweep of the hated New York Yankees with a 2-0 victory at Fenway Park.
Devers’ agent, Nelson Montes de Oca, confirmed the Giants’ acquisition of the Red Sox star. Devers is in the second season of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed to stay in Boston through January 2023. The Red Sox will not send any money to cover the more than $250 million remaining on Devers’ contract, sources said.
This was the tweet posted by the Boston Red Sox about Rafael Devers
Devers shined in his final game with the franchise, hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning. It was his 15th home run of the year, and it prompted the Red Sox social media team to tweet this GIF of Devers with the caption, “That’s gone!“
The mega-deal comes six weeks before the July 31 trade deadline, but just five days before the Red Sox and Giants face off in what has suddenly become a highly anticipated three-game series in San Francisco. The Red Sox will see Devers again soon, as they play the Giants in San Francisco next weekend.
Mediocre year for the Boston Red Sox
Despite their strong offensive year (.301, 14 HR, 56 RBIs through June), the Red Sox, with a mediocre 33-36 record, prioritized a strategic change. In exchange for Rafael Devers, they received Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, and José Bello, betting on young talent and financial flexibility.
In short, the trade of Rafael Devers wasn’t just due to his refusal to play first base, but to a fractured mutual trust, exacerbated by poor communication and misaligned expectations. For Boston, it sent a clear message: no one is above the team, not even a superstar.
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