The Boston Red Sox were at the center of discussion during the June 15 installment of Sunday Night Baseball. Despite the game being between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, it was the Red Sox trade with the Giants that dominated the coverage. Sorry, Red Sox fans, Sunday night wasn't just a bad dream; Rafael Devers has been traded.
Sure, there was an endless stream of drama between Devers and the Red Sox during the early months of the season, but conventional wisdom suggested that the two sides would be able to coexist. After all, Devers loved the Red Sox organization and was loved by the fanbase, and despite the controversy that started in spring training, it seemed clear that the team's front office realized the value Devers brought to the team as one of the best offensive players in baseball.
Just this weekend, Devers said the drama was in the past. The trade has left Red Sox fans in shock, looking for the why behind the move. During the broadcast on Sunday night, ESPN insider Buster Olney tried to answer that question.
ESPN insider answers the Rafael Devers' trade question that everyone wants to know
“Devers had reached an impasse with the Red Sox. Getting text messages from executives, other teams been talking with the Red Sox. They basically are saying that after Devers did not respond following John Henry getting on a plane and going out to Kansas City, and he didn't take ground balls after that, the perception of other teams was, ‘Yeah, he was gone.’ Red Sox were going to move him when he didn't respond to the owner who was paying him that contract," Olney told the Sunday Night Baseball crew.
The reference from Olney is to what happened last month, after Devers took issue with the front office asking him to move to first base in the wake of Triston Casas' season-ending injury. After public remarks from Devers, questioning Craig Breslow's motives, John Henry flew to Kansas City to try and mend the fence between the All-Star and the front office.
If we're being honest, the intel from Olney has the perception of the Red Sox trying to cast Devers as the bad guy in the aftermath of the trade. Even in the way they told Devers about the trade, it seemed that the Red Sox front office was already obsessed with winning the fallout of the trade. There is no sneaking past Red Sox fans. The handling of the Devers and the trade was botched by the Red Sox, despite what insiders may suggest was the reason for the move.