The St. Louis Cardinals did not trade for Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers in a Sunday night stunner – no, that would be the San Francisco Giants. Devers is heading to the bay for reasons we have yet to fully understand. The 28-year-old is one of the elite hitters in all of baseball, so why would the Red Sox trade him? It could have a lot to do with soon-to-be Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who extended Devers in the first place.
While Craig Breslow was undoubtedly grateful to have Devers under contract for 8.5 years in Boston, it was not his decision to extend the international star. Bloom made the choice to sign Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million deal that started in 2023. It was also Bloom's regime which reportedly told Raffy that he would remain the team's starting third baseman long term. Breslow and Alex Cora, of course, did not hold up their end of the bargain when Bloom moved on.
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Chaim Bloom's promise came back to haunt the Red Sox
During spring training, Devers was upset that new signee Alex Bregman was expected to be the team's starting third baseman. Cora didn't mince words when discussing the so-called promise Bloom made to Devers, saying “different leadership. That was under Chaim. He’s in St. Louis now."
Bloom isn't the main reason Devers is a San Francisco Giant on Monday. The Red Sox mishandled their star player and opted against paying a DH $313 million. However, it isn't the greatest look for Bloom, either, who shouldn't have made a promise the organization couldn't keep, with or without him. Whoever the next Cardinal is to sign a long-term extension – let's suggest Masyn Winn, perhaps – is Bloom open to the same concession? What if Wynn wants to play shortstop into the distant future, but the Cardinals are unsure of how he'll progress defensively into his 30's?
Chaim Bloom can't make the same mistake twice with the St. Louis Cardinals
It's a reasonable question to ask of Bloom, who put the Red Sox in a tough position at the beginning of this season despite leaving the franchise in 2023. Bloom will be empowered to make decisions for the Cardinals front office soon, if he's not already doing so. The former Rays and Red Sox executive has experience rebuilding and retooling with limited resources. He could be asked to do so again in St. Louis, as the Cardinals will eventually find a way out of the Nolan Arenado contract.
If all goes well, the Cards young core will not require a full rebuild, and the team already has its next star in-house – much like Boston did with Devers. If Bloom can learn anything from his Red Sox days, it's that broken promises can come back to haunt a franchise – even long after the person who made that promise is out of the building.