Months after the Rafael Devers trade, some Boston Red Sox fans still aren't over the decision to send the franchise slugger out of town. Losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in January certainly didn't help matters.
The Red Sox essentially traded Devers to make room to sign Bregman to be their long-term third baseman, but they refused to meet his contract demands which (of course) included a no-trade clause. You could argue that Boston still hasn't bounced back from losing the two third basemen, and most fans would probably agree.
Craig Breslow's return package for Devers was poor the day he made the trade, but it's been whittled down to almost nothing now as the Red Sox made over a dozen trades this offseason to shore up their roster. What was formerly a package of top outfield prospect James Tibbs III, young pitcher Jose Bello, Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks now leaves just Bello in the Red Sox organization.
Tibbs went to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Dustin May deal at the 2025 trade deadline, Boston salary dumped Hicks to the Chicago White Sox and swapped Harrison with the Milwaukee Brewers for Caleb Durbin. Boston's recovery from the Devers disaster has been so depressing that fans have developed a new way of looking at it.
Red Sox fans have taken to looking at the Rafael Devers trade from different angles to feel better about this offseason
This the first tweet I’ve seen where I thought “wait that doesn’t sound too bad” https://t.co/xOJVvMhixA
— Ceddanne Rafaela Enjoyer (@RafaelaEnjoyer) February 9, 2026
The Red Sox claimed they'd re-invest the money they saved from the Devers trade into free agents this offseason. Most fans expected (and hoped) that meant a reunion with Bregman, but pitcher Ranger Suárez is a great alternative. He'll serve as Boston's No. 2 starter behind Crochet for the next five years — and hopefully it makes use of his elite 1.48 postseason ERA over seven series.
Durbin, who could be the Sox's third baseman of the future, depending on how his upcoming position battles with Marcelo Mayer shake out, is a great all-around player. He's a nice get for Boston, which didn't have a home for Harrison in its rotation and plenty of other pitching depth to spare.
Durbin doesn't make up the home run power that the Red Sox lost in the Devers trade. Devers last season crushed 35 bombs between Boston and San Francisco, which would've led the Red Sox. Durbin hit 25 doubles and just 11 home runs in 2025, but the Red Sox are optimistic that his tendency to pull the ball in the air will play well in front of the Green Monster.
It's no doubt that having Devers or Bregman — or even both, as was possible seven months ago — would make the Red Sox a better team than they are now. But the front office is gradually improving its underwhelming return and salvaging a stretch of brutal moves since June.