Shortly after completing a mid-June sweep against the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers away to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a package that, at first glance, felt underwhelming. The initial results of the deal haven't been what many MLB fans expected, with Devers not performing like his superstar self and the Red Sox and Giants going in opposite directions record-wise.
While Red Sox fans have every reason to be pleased with how their team has played since the deal, and that Craig Breslow cleared a boatload of money, the return that the team got outside of getting Devers' deal off the books looks very weak, perhaps even worse than anticipated.
It could be up to Kyle Harrison, a pitcher the Red Sox are set to call up to the Majors on Wednesday, to change that narrative.
Kyle Harrison is leaving Polar Park with his bags packed. He’s headed up to Boston.
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) September 2, 2025
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Red Sox finally give Kyle Harrison a chance to establish himself
Talk about the pressure being on. Harrison, once one of MLB's top pitching prospects, has been in Triple-A ever since the Red Sox acquired him, and he appears set to make his Red Sox debut on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians. How he pitches in that start and for the rest of the season could give Red Sox fans an idea of whether the Devers trade can be salvaged at all.
Harrison has a 4.48 ERA in parts of three big-league seasons and he had a 4.56 ERA in eight appearances (four starts) with San Francisco this year. He's shown glimpses of All-Star upside over that time, but for the most part he's looked like a No. 5 starter at best. Given that, he shouldn't need to be dealing with this much pressure, but that's the reality because of the underwhelming package Boston received for Devers.
Kyle Harrison is Boston's last chance to salvage something from Rafael Devers trade
In addition to Harrison, the Red Sox received three other players. The big leaguer Boston acquired was Jordan Hicks, a player who struggled pre-trade and has a 6.38 ERA in 20 appearances so far with his new team. Hicks has been a solid reliever in the past, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him be a useful piece in 2026, but he's looked awful in Boston so far, and hopes are low regarding a major turnaround.
The two Minor Leaguers Boston received were outfielder James Tibbs III and pitcher Jose Bello. Tibbs was immediately flipped at the trade deadline for Dustin May, a pitcher on an expiring contract who has struggled with the Red Sox. Bello is not listed on the Red Sox's top 30 prospect list on MLB Pipeline, and currently has an ERA hovering near 4 in Single-A.
To sum up, the Red Sox received an overpaid reliever who has struggled mightily, a couple of months of a starting pitcher likely to depart after the year who has also struggled mightily and a non-prospect in addition to Harrison.
Say what you want about the value of clearing the money and how poor of a teammate Devers was, but he's one of the 15-ish best hitters in the sport at his peak. The Red Sox absolutely should've gotten more than they did in return, despite his massive contract. Now, Harrison is the last chance to salvage anything from the deal that should've been a lot better for Boston.
Red Sox have reason to be cautiously optimistic about Kyle Harrison
Things haven't gone particularly well for Harrison in the Majors, but again, he was once considered a top prospect, and he's only 24 years old. Additionally, he's made some changes with the Red Sox organization that could lead to great things.
From adding a cutter to improving his slurve to simply throwing more strikes, Harrison has been tinkering with things, and he's looked more polished with the Red Sox organization. Sure, a 3.65 ERA in 11 starts might not be too impressive for a guy with as much big league experience as Harrison has, but after pitching to an ERA over 7.00 in his first three starts with Triple-A Worcester, the southpaw has a 2.23 ERA in his last eight starts, allowing two runs or fewer in seven of the eight appearances and keeping the opposition off the board entirely three times.
No, I don't expect Harrison to be a sub-2.50 ERA guy in the Majors right away, but I do think he can be a viable No. 6 starter and an upgrade over Walker Buehler, which is what he's being asked to be right now. As for salvaging the Devers trade, it'd take a lot for him to do that, but I do think he can be an intriguing piece for them down the stretch and long-term.