Blue Jays' patience with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks even better after Rafael Devers heist

The baseball world's collective jaw dropped on Sunday evening, as the Boston Red Sox traded superstar Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray was the first to report on Devers heading to San Francisco in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, and Jose Bello. This trade happened hours after the Red Sox swept the New York Yankees in a three-game series over the weekend, making it quite the puzzling move.l

It's anyone's guess what's next for the Red Sox after trading not just their best player, but one of the top hitters in the game. With that, it certainly makes the Toronto Blue Jays look smarter for how they handled a seemingly dicey situation with their superstar, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Blue Jays look even smarter for how they handled Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after Red Sox trade Rafael Devers

Before the start of this season, the talk was whether or not the Blue Jays were going to reach an agreement with Guerrero on a long-term contract extension. If they couldn't, Guerrero would hit free agency after the 2025 campaign, and likely receive a lucrative contract from another team.

At first, it felt like that would become a reality, as the Blue Jays and Guerrero were unable to reach an agreement at the star's self-imposed deadline: the start of spring training. Guerrero said at the time of full squad workouts on Feb. 18 that the two sides were never even close to reaching an agreement. Multiple reports indicated that Guerrero was seeking around $500 million on his next contract.

With Blue Jays fans panicking about Guerrero walking away after the season, they were given hope around two weeks into the year. On Apr. 9, the Blue Jays and Guerrero came to terms on a 14-year, $500 million contract. With that, crisis was averted.

Not only has that moved paid off long-term, but also in the short-term. The Blue Jays have had a good start to their season, as they are 38-33 as of Monday, and are just 4.5 games back of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox's sweep of the Yankees this past weekend certainly helped. Plus, the Blue Jays are in the second Wild Card spot in the AL, behind only the Tampa Bay Rays.

With this start to the season, the Blue Jays can probably set aside talks about selling at the July 31 trade deadline and instead try to bolster their roster to make a run for a postseason berth and potentially a World Series title.

Speaking of, it seems like the Blue Jays were planning that. According to Sean McAdam of MassLive.com, the Blue Jays inquired about Devers' availability, along with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. If that doesn't say "we're planning on making a run this year and for years to come," we don't know what does.

The Red Sox decided they couldn't move forward with Devers, and decided to trade him to the Giants for a trade package that doesn't equal the value that the third baseman and designated hitter brings to the team. But, the deal does get Devers' contract off the books.

In the aftermath of this trade, the Blue Jays look like huge winners because of how they were able to avoid a catastrophe like the Red Sox are currently dealing with.