One of the most anticipated series of the season is approaching quickly for the Boston Red Sox: the San Francisco Giants will be in town. The Giants now have two former Red Sox castoffs, Rafael Devers and Marcelo Mayer. The former is already getting negative press before his return.
Devers hasn't stepped foot in Fenway Park since June 15, 2025, the day the Red Sox won their fifth straight game to put them a game over .500 and complete a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, his favorite team to hit against. Hours later, he was pulled off the plane before they headed for Seattle.
Everyone remembers the start of the 2025 season, when Devers, the coaching staff, and the front office were all at odds after the signing of Alex Bregman forced the 28-year-old off his natural position at third base. This started the chain of events that led to Boston trading away their face of the franchise. Now, with him coming back to town for the first time, the usual disparaging quotes and comments are coming out of the woodwork.
Rafael Devers' reunion with the Red Sox was never going to come cleanly
In a recent article in The Athletic talking about Giants legend and current President of Baseball Operations Bosey Posey's legacy, senior MLB writer Brittany Ghiroli talked about Boston's view of Devers (subscription required).
"While he was a three-time All-Star in Boston, some in the organization found Devers immature and selfish," Ghiroli wrote. "On more than one occasion, Devers became upset when asked to honor the age-old practice of letting veteran players with more service time hit first in the batting cages".
Rafael Devers became upset when asked to honor the Red Sox old practice of letting veteran players with more service time hit first in the batting cages
— Punchoutpitch (@Punchoutpitch) August 13, 2026
“One former Red Sox star threatened to start swinging with Devers still in the cage if he didn’t move.”
(Via @TheAthletic) pic.twitter.com/BVuGP5hmHY
It happens to most Red Sox players who leave the club on less-than-ideal terms. Leaks start finding their way into reports about how someone wasn't a team player, or they were asking for too much money, or any number of things the Red Sox organization can say to make the team look better. The most surprising part about it: it didn't come from a Red Sox reporter.
The article as a whole talks about Posey's tenure with the Giants. It references Devers in other aspects as well, but more in the context of the Giants organization. Ghiroli wrote near the beginning of the article, "Posey invested more than a half billion dollars in an underperforming veteran core... His big-swing trade for slugging Boston Red Sox first baseman Rafael Devers may hamstring the club for years to come."
It was that exact sentiment that the Red Sox front office used to paint a picture of why Devers should be moved. Of course, for Red Sox Nation, it felt like an ownership group that had been averse to spending money in recent seasons wanted out of a mega contract. Just over a year later, though, another club is sharing in that sentiment because paying an under-30 part-time DH that much money is a hard pill to swallow.
All in all, it seems to have worked out on the Red Sox side of things. After an extremely rough first few months, the team hit its stride and has found itself in the playoff picture. While Devers' bat would be useful in the lineup, the team wouldn't look the way it does if they hadn't traded him. It will be weird to see him back in Fenway, though.
Add us as a preferred source on Google