The Boston Red Sox swept the New York Yankees over the weekend, only to make a move one would expect from the opposite result.
Mere hours after Boston’s 2-0 win over the Yankees on Sunday, star third baseman/first baseman/DH/whatever management needs from him a given week Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants. The Red Sox got pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison in return, plus prospects Jose Bello and James Tibbs III.
The timing of the deal? Zero sense. Devers hit two home runs over the weekend and was in the midst of another strong season. He’s batting .272 with 15 home runs and a 148 wRC+. He was leading the American League in walks and was even on the team bus to the airport after Sunday’s game. Boston begins a three-game set in Seattle on Monday and is now down a bat.
Oh, and let’s not forget Devers is currently in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million deal signed in 2022. The Giants are taking on all remaining money.
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees must be a bit relieved now that Devers is out of the division. He’s a .270 career hitter with 31 home runs against the Bronx Bombers. It doesn’t matter that Boston just swept the Yankees. Losing Devers means losing a meaningful bat in the lineup and his production will be hard to match regardless of who’s at designated hitter.
And you know which Yankee is probably the most relieved about this? Righty ace Gerrit Cole, and he’s currently out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Devers hit .350 against him with eight homers and 20 RBI in 40 career at-bats against him.
But let’s talk the long game with this. Since the Giants are indeed taking on all of Devers’ remaining money, that gives Boston some future financial flexibility. This could put them in a position to make a play for upcoming free agents Kyle Tucker or Kyle Schwarber. The Red Sox might not be on the cusp of tearing down, but simply trimming some fat to build upwards.
So what does that mean for the Yankees? Well, thus far, not much. They’re more focused on bouncing back post-sweep than they are what Boston looks like post-Devers. Boston’s off their radar until the next series in August, or until they’re within striking distance of the Yankees in the AL East.
But long-term? Count on the Yankees, their fans, and especially Gerrit Cole breathing a sigh of relief. Everyone knew Rafael Devers would be a pain in New York’s ass the moment he hit an opposite-field game-tying home run off of Aroldis Chapman in 2017. And as a 20-year-old rookie who only had nine Triple-A games under his belt, at that!
But for now, Devers is officially the NL West’s problem. The Giants have been quite the surprise this year and are only two games behind the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Oracle Park isn’t as hitter-friendly as Fenway, but Devers’ pull power should play quite well there.
As for the Red Sox? Well, let’s just hope for their sake that Alex Bregman is back from the injured list soon.
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