We are approaching the two week mark since the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers in a move that sent shock waves through all of baseball.
The divorce from Devers was messy and has seen virtually everyone start taking sides with most fans siding with Devers, especially given how Boston publicly handled the move. However, we may be only scratching the surface of how slimy this front office has been throughout this ordeal.
At this moment, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow doesn't have a lot of friends amongst Red Sox fans. What was initially a promise of fielding a championship contender again when Breslow took over after Chaim Bloom got ran out of town has turned into more of the same mediocre baseball and doing the bidding of ownership that fans have consistently hated. In short, it stinks and Breslow is getting a lot of the blame right now.
As it turns out, there are a lot of very good reasons to blame Breslow for how he handled the Devers trade and it doesn't bode well for getting any level of transparency in the future out of him.
CRAIG BRESLOW
— Bastards of Boston Baseball (@Bastards_Boston) June 16, 2025
• He didn’t shop Devers to get the best possible trade package.
• He did it in secret, so that the public couldn’t find out he was about to make one of the most controversial moves in franchise history.
• He did also kept it a secret possibly so Alex Cora…
The laundry list of sins Craig Breslow committed during Rafael Devers saga is almost impressive
Well, when you put all down in list form, an already crappy situation does look far worse somehow. It would be one thing if Breslow acted quickly and decisively which prevented him from getting the best return possible, but he at least owned up to it in the moment...it would still suck, but at least be understandable. However, Breslow and the front office made sure to strike the deal as the team was heading out of town.
By doing so, the Red Sox could yank Devers off the plane and ship him to the West Coast without time to protest, wouldn't have to face the media until it was on their terms, wouldn't face questions from coaches or players that could have spoiled the deal, then did a Zoom call with media that held little in the way of actual answers and promptly went into hiding.
There is a world where the Devers trade works out better for Boston. It isn't like Devers contract didn't have a chance of souring given his lack of defensive value and shift to DH. If that money is reinvested well in the roster and the talent the Red Sox got back works out, then great. However, one can understand why fans (or anyone really) won't trust Breslow until that happens given how he handled the move to start with. If anything, it feels more and more like John Henry has himself another lackey that has joined him in trying to escape accountability to the fans that line their pockets.