Red Sox snuck one final spiteful detail into bombshell Rafael Devers trade

The Boston Red Sox didn't need to trade Rafael Devers at all. They could've settled on an honest middle ground regarding Devers' position following the addition of Alex Bregman. They could've been transparent with him from the start. They could've used the human touch in massaging Devers' ego, rewarding him and hoping he could carry Boston's young core to their potential peak.

Instead, they dealt him to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night, just as the roster was beginning to get their sea legs under them. Even crueler? In a twist that feels downright purposeful, they don't appear to have shopped him much, if at all, sending him to yet another club where a Gold Glove third baseman in Matt Chapman holds down his preferred position.

After DFA'ing LaMonte Wade Jr., the Giants are also in desperate need of a first baseman. Congratulations on that conversation, Buster Posey. It sure feels like the Red Sox knew exactly what they were doing here, dumping Devers' deal to another city where his preferences are blocked. Good luck floating a trade request twice.

And, if you were hoping for full accountability from the Sox on this one, then best of luck tracking that down. They waited until the team's vibes were highest to suck the air out of the room. They more specifically waited until the whole roster had boarded the team plane to pull Devers from the group and contain their disbelief in one metallic chamber, soaring above the USA.

Tomorrow, Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy will address the deal's finer points on a Zoom call. Only those two. That's all you'll get.

Maybe they were unaware of Chapman's existence? We're betting that wasn't the case, though.

Red Sox send Rafael Devers to SF Giants, another team where he's blocked at third base

To add insult to injury, Boston waited nearly two hours to confirm Robert Murray's initial report, then listed Devers as a "3B/DH" in their PR tweet.

Either this team just tripped backwards into another flammable online moment, or they had a spiteful look in their eyes while they perfected the language here.

It's nearly impossible to give Boston the benefit of the doubt at a time like this, so it certainly feels like they spite-shipped Devers somewhere else where he'll quickly grow uncomfortable, then side-swiped him on the way out the door.

Make sure to ask Craig and Sam today for clarity.