Trading a superstar or even a faux superstar in baseball is not unusual. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees even contemplated trading Ted Williams for Joe DiMaggio. The Yankees' Dan Topping and Tom Yawkey discussed such a deal until they sobered up the next morning.
The reasons for such maneuverings can be multifaceted and complicated, including free agency, luxury tax situations, and disenchantment. The latest to join Red Sox trade lore is Rafael Devers, whose Boston shelf life was jeopardized by a potential change of positions. After signing Devers to a massive contract, Boston expected more cooperation, and the trade soon became a he-said she-said exchange.
Boston has shipped out a possible Hall of Fame player and team icon before, such as when Nomar Garciaparra was shipped to the Midwest in a blockbuster trade with four teams involved. The Garciaparra deal at the 2004 trading deadline was instrumental in providing Boston with a significant defensive upgrade. Acrobatic shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz had a Gold Glove on their resumes, an item missing from the vitae of both Garciaparra and Devers.
Injuries hampered two-time batting champion Garciaparra, but he still hit .321 when he departed for Chicago. Those very injuries eventually would keep Nomar from the HOF.
Will the Red Sox be able to turn the Rafael Devers trade into something positive?
That 2004 trade became a catalyst for the Red Sox, and we may see the same now that the petulant Devers has departed. But with the Devers trade, the return is, at this juncture, minimal. There is no Cabrera or Mienkiewicz, but there is a $250 million in savings as the Giants have absorbed Devers' contract. Even the stunning incompetence of trading Mookie Betts brought in a few players with a pulse.
The Betts move may have been triggered by management's unwillingness to pay the best five-tool player I have seen in Beantown, and I go back to 1953. So far, it has stagnated the franchise, but a similar blockbuster did not in 2012.
Adrian González, Josh Beckett, and a disappointing Carl Crawford went to the Dodgers in a now-brilliant salary dump. The following season, Boston won another World Series.
The exit of Devers' trade known is the loss of offense. The influx of prospects may minimize that if Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony are the real deal. How will the money be spent? If Boston is on the hunt for the playoffs, will management go on the hunt for a salary dump? Are the newbies showing enough to spark increased fan interest?
The trade of Devers becomes a watershed moment in Red Sox history, aligning with Garciaparra, Betts, and even the aforementioned Nick Punto trade (sarcasm meter now off). Two of those moves resulted in titles, and the other dismay, social outrage, and frustration. Will the Devers deal be Betts or Garciaparra? We'll look back in five years for the answer.