A lot has happened within the Boston Red Sox front office in recent weeks. With Triston Casas out for the season, the Red Sox have been exploring a variety of options at first base.
MassLive’s Christopher Smith reported in early May that Craig Breslow had already spoken with Rafael Devers about making a move to first base when Alex Cora told reporters that no plans to have that chat were in the works. In short order, cracks began to emerge, with Devers himself talking to reporters in anger about the situation. “I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” he said.
For Devers, the disconnect appears not to be an issue in playing the field, but rather that wishy-washy approach the front office is taking with the team’s most explosive bat. Devers was adamant about his preference to remain at third before the season began, even as Breslow began telegraphing a different direction for the lineup. This has led to a nearly month-long tiff to go along with a 6-10 record in May. Somehow, a chronically .500 record is good for second place in the American League East for the time being, but this balance can’t last forever.
Repairing things with Devers might prove to be a key step in the right direction as the Sox seek to string together a more compelling win tally. Christopher Smith of MassLive also noted (while appearing on the "Foul Territory" podcast) alongside additional reporting from Mike McDaniel at Sports Illustrated that greater unrest in the clubhouse is taking hold as a result of the Devers situation. If a transition to first isn’t in the cards (as recent comments from Devers might suggest), perhaps a trade might be looming to initiate this energetic movement.
The Athletic reporters shut down any chance of Red Sox trading Rafael Devers to Yankees
If something of a repeat is playing out two decades later and a trade looms large in Raffy's future, the question becomes one of where. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller names the Nationals, Cubs, and Cardinals as the three most likely trade partners for Devers, while listing an interesting club (much) farther down the list. The New York Yankees have some work of their own to do in the infield, especially after losing their third baseman, Oswaldo Cabrera to a season-ending injury.
Reporters Mark Puelo and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic totally shut this idea down, however. “Don’t expect the Boston Red Sox to look to unload Rafael Devers to their rivals,” the pair put simply.
Beyond some basic conflict resolution, moving Devers out of the DH role would almost certainly help inject some energy into the lineup. Bringing Masataka Yoshida back into the fold or even clearing space for one (or even both) of the organization’s wunderkind prospects still treading water in Triple-A would quickly follow, changing the dynamic inside the clubhouse significantly. But a trade to the Yankees should always be completely out of the question, especially after seeing how well the Mookie Betts trade has worked in the Dodgers' favor.
The Sox aren’t shy about trading superstar talent, including a surprise separation from the effervescent Nomar Garciaparra after an offseason attempt to bring Alex Rodriguez to Boston imploded, ultimately causing an irreparable rift. A similar story could play out in Boston after an offseason acquisition succeeded in bringing a star's replacement into the roster. Luckily, a trade to New York seems like an impossibility, and a trade, in general, feels less likely after Devers' recent dominance at the plate.