MLB just had its own Luka Doncic trade and baseball fans weren't ready

It’s a rare sight in major league sports when a trade sends genuine shockwaves through the entire community. But every so often, a deal is struck that forces fans, insiders, and even players to double-check their notifications, wondering if reality glitched.

Take, for example, that one unforgettable Saturday night when the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The reaction was universal disbelief. So much so that when ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania broke the news, many assumed his account had been hacked. Moments later, after hundreds of calls, texts, and voicemails flooded in, Charania tweeted:

Fast-forward to June 15, 2025. The baseball world experienced a similar moment of disbelief when FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray reported the Boston Red Sox were trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for four players.

Just like with Doncic, the reaction was swift and skeptical. Devers had become a cornerstone in Boston, a fan favorite and former World Series champion. He was less than two years into a massive 10-year, $313.5 million extension signed in early 2023. Yet tensions had been simmering for months.

After the Red Sox added Alex Bregman in 2025 free agency, Devers was asked to shift positions. First to second base — he declined. Then to first base following Triston Casas’ injury — again, he refused. He eventually settled in as the team’s designated hitter, but it was clear the relationship had fractured.

MLB experiences its own version of Luka Dončić trade after Red Sox deal Rafael Devers to Giants

The parallels to Dončić’s departure are uncanny.

Dončić was 25, an international superstar, former MVP candidate, and the face of the Mavericks franchise. Devers, 28, had three All-Star nods, played a key role in Boston’s 2018 championship, and led the American League in walks at the time of the trade. Both were producing at high levels. Both had long-term deals. Neither had requested a trade.

And yet, both are now gone — not because of performance issues, but due to behind-the-scenes frustrations, clashing egos, and franchise fatigue.

“Rafael Devers didn’t want to be in Boston anymore,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan said during Sunday Night Baseball. “The Red Sox saw this as an opportunity to get rid of more than $250 million he was still owed.”

Sound familiar? The Mavericks were reportedly hesitant to commit the full supermax to Dončić with his contract expiring after the 2025–26 season. The sentiment in both front offices was the same: we love the talent, but the partnership just isn’t working anymore.

What makes these trades even more jarring is that neither Dončić nor Devers forced their way out. They didn’t demand a trade. They didn’t torch their relationships publicly. They were simply deemed no longer worth the emotional and financial strain, despite being generational players.

The trend is becoming more clear in the modern sports era: If you're young, valuable, and command a massive salary, your franchise might see you as more replaceable than irreplaceable.

It’s not always about whether you can help win games. Sometimes, it’s about how much patience the front office has left.