The Boston Red Sox dropped a bomb on their fanbase Sunday evening, trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for a bag of chips (Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, Jose Bello). FanSided's Robert Murray broke the news, with executives around the league left in a state of utter shock.
Nobody was more shocked than your local Red Sox fan, however. Many were quick to compare this to the ill-fated Mookie Betts trade, but Betts was about to hit free agency. And least there was some pressure to figure out a solution. Devers has seven years left on his deal. He did not officially request a trade. The Red Sox, no doubt frustrated by Devers' own frustration over his position change, decided to jump ship instead of attempting to salvage the relationship.
It's unclear if Craig Breslow will ever earn the forgiveness of a wounded fanbase. But, if the Red Sox handle the next few months correctly, then maybe — just maybe — the sting of Devers' departure can be lessened.
Here is how Boston can repair their relationship with fans after trading a franchise cornerstone in the middle of his prime.
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3. Red Sox can re-sign Alex Bregman long term in free agency
The root cause of all this nonsense was the Alex Bregman signing. This is not Bregman's fault, of course, but Boston went out and added a Gold Glove third baseman when Devers had been promised the position for the duration of his 10-year contract. Rather than move Bregman to second base or engage in open, clear dialogue with Devers about his positional future, the Red Sox muddied the water and were vauge with the media about their intentions — a vagueness that extended to Devers, who clearly did not relish the switch to DH.
When Boston then asked Devers to move back to the infield and man first base in Triston Casas' absence, the 28-year-old flatly refused. There was palpable friction between Devers, Alex Cora and the Red Sox front office. Devers put on a good face and was extremely productive despite his unhappiness, but the Red Sox probably don't find themselves with a disgruntled star if Bregman never arrives.
Now, just imagine how bad this looks if Bregman opts out at season's end and signs elsewhere. The Red Sox might need to overpay to keep Bregman at this point — Scott Boras has all the leverage he could ask for — but even so, letting Bregman walk would be catastrophic. He is now Boston's best hitter and their lone championship-proven vet. Boston needs to keep him around.
2. Red Sox can sign Dylan Cease to pitch behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation
Boston's rotation has been a mess all season. We've seen positive trends start to develop over the last couple weeks — Brayan Bello pitching seven scoreless against New York was a nice treat — but the Red Sox desperately need reliable depth behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation. Once free agency comes around, there won't be a more compelling option than Dylan Cease.
We know the Red Sox have the financial capital to hunt big game, especially after dumping the Devers contract. Cease has been one of the most electric arms in baseball over the last half-decade. And, more importantly, he is wildly durable, with 32 or more starts in each of his last four seasons. Crochet is not without his injury bugs, so adding an ironman like Cease in the No. 2 slot could prove essential for Boston's World Series hopes.
This has not been Cease's best season on paper so far — 4.28 ERA and 1.29 WHIP through 14 starts for the San Diego Padres — but that is hardly cause for panic. Last season, Cease began slow and finished strong, earning a fourth-place Cy Young finish almost entirely after the All-Star break. He packs nasty swing-and-miss stuff and, at 29 years old, he's still in the middle of his prime. This would mark a huge free agency victory for Boston. Cease and Crochet were teammates in Chicago not long ago, too.
1. Red Sox can trade for Marcell Ozuna before the July 31 deadline
This isn't exactly a long-term solution, but the Atlanta Braves continue to stall outside the postseason picture in the National League. Alex Anthopoulos has never been one to sell at the trade deadline, but if Atlanta feels its World Series odds slipping away, there's no reason to keep Ozuna. He's a free agent at season's end and he will get paid more than he's actually worth as an aging DH.
Even as a short-term solution, this would at least provide the Red Sox with another veteran slugger to prop up a young lineup and give Boston a fighting chance in the AL East. Ozuna is coming off his best campaign to date in 2024. The numbers a less gaudy in 2025, but a slash line of .253/.388/.422 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI still gets the job done. Boston always needs more right-handed slug, too.
Ozuna is not Devers, and his arrival would be nothing more than a bandage over a bullet hole. But man, you do need to put a bandage over the bullet hole before you transport someone to the hospital. The long-term solutions can wait until the offseason, but if Boston wants to stack wins and help fans get over this in the coming months, trading for a win-now piece like Ozuna might do the trick. He's battle-tested in the playoffs and he comes without any positional baggage. He's a DH and he's proud of it.