The Boston Red Sox have defended their trade of star hitter Rafael Devers and suggested his presence in the locker room created “something amiss” in the “culture and environment created by great teams”.
Devers moved to the San Francisco Giants late Sunday in a deal that has enraged the bulk of the Red Sox fanbase, with Boston receiving a host of up-and-coming talent in exchange for the three-time All-Star who was in the second year of a £313.5million 10-year deal.
The slugger has been disillusioned at Fenway Park after being asked to switch position twice this season. He initially agreed to moving to DH following the signing of Alex Bregman, who claimed his preferred spot at third base, but refused a team request to switch to first base when Tristan Casas suffered a season-ending injury in May.
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Positional disagreement led to Devers rift
Devers’ unwillingness to play first prompted showdown talks with team owner John Henry, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow but no agreement was found.
Kennedy felt the contract offered to Devers meant the team always came first and despite no downgrade in on-field performance – he was slashing .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, tied for the third most in MLB – the Red Sox felt the off-field issues needed addressing.
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“We had certain expectations that went with that contract,” Kennedy said. “And when we came to the conclusion that we did not have a full alignment, we moved on.
“We did what we felt was in the best interest of the Red Sox on and off the field to win championships and to continue to ferociously and relentlessly pursue a culture that we want everyone in that clubhouse to embody and doing everything in their power night in and night out to help the team.”
Breslow added: “As we think about the identity and the culture and the environment that is created by great teams, there was something amiss here, and it was something that we needed to act decisively to course correct.”
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We’re not waving the white flag on 2025 – Breslow
The Giants sent left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III, right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks and right-hander Jose Bello to Boston in exchange for Devers. And while Breslow admitted the team may look weaker he is confident it will prove to be a solid move.
He said: “I understand why the initial reaction would be that it’d be tough to sit here and say when you move a player of Raffy’s caliber, when you take that bat out of the lineup, how could I sit here and say that we’re a better team?
“And I acknowledge on paper we’re not going to have the same lineup that we did, but this isn’t about the game that is played on paper. This is about the game that’s played on the field and ultimately about winning the most games that we can. And in order to do that, we’re trying to put together the most functional and complete team that we can.”
The Red Sox – who are fourth in the AL East – moved to 38-36 for the season on Monday after a win over the Seattle Mariners and Breslow insisted they remain in the hunt to meet their objectives.
“This is in no way signifying a waving of the white flag on 2025,” he said. “We are as committed as we were six months ago to putting a winning team on the field, to competing for the division and making a deep postseason run.
“I do think that there is a real chance that at the end of the season we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would’ve.”
