Trading Rafael Devers was a decision most Boston Red Sox fans are squarely against, and for good reason. He's one of the best hitters in the game, was locked in long-term as the face of the franchise, and the team literally just swept the New York Yankees to get over .500. Had the Red Sox gotten an appropriate return for Devers, though, fans would be more understanding than they are currently. The fact that they didn't and that ownership might be the reason why, though, is incredibly frustrating.
During an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, Geoff Pontes of Baseball America revealed that the Red Sox had another Devers deal in place, but owner John Henry vetoed it because Boston would've had to eat some of his massive contract.
There was another trade involving Rafael Devers that John Henry vetoed because the Red Sox would've been responsible for some of the remaining money on his contract, per @GeoffPontesBA. pic.twitter.com/aTVvZla1R1
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 16, 2025
"What I've been told is that there was another deal where they were taking on some of the money. I do not know what pieces were included within that particular deal. That was vetoed by John Henry, and the reason it was vetoed was because they had to take on money."
Pontes made it clear that he has no idea what the return would've been if the Red Sox were willing to eat some of the contract, but the Red Sox potentially missing out on something much better than what they got only adds to the frustration.
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Red Sox continue to be run as if they're a small market team
For years now, it's felt as if Red Sox ownership has been unwilling to treat the team as if it plays in a big market, and it's hard to figure out why. The Red Sox finally changed things a bit this offseason by signing Alex Bregman and trading for (and extending) Garrett Crochet, but this Devers update gives Boston fans flashbacks of the Mookie Betts trade. The Red Sox, of course, made the Los Angeles Dodgers take on David Price's monster deal as part of that trade, thus limiting their return.
Nobody wants to pay a player wearing another uniform, but if the team is set on trading said player anyway, why not do what you can for the best possible return? Again, we don't know what the Giants would've been willing to offer had the Red Sox been willing to eat some of the money, but it had to have been better than what the Red Sox got, right?
Kyle Harrison has decent potential, but he's been unable to stick at the MLB level, and the Red Sox demoted him to Triple-A immediately after acquiring him. James Tibbs III is an intriguing talent, but the Red Sox passed over him in last year's MLB Draft and he's yet another outfield prospect. Those were the two big names Boston got. I'm not going to say their top prospect, Bryce Eldridge, would've been included had the Red Sox eaten money, but the return absolutely would've been better if Boston wasn't being cheap.
Red Sox rub salt on wound by acquiring Jordan Hicks
What makes this worse is that the Red Sox even acquired Jordan Hicks, a pitcher making $7.3 million this season and $12.5 million in each of the next two seasons. Hicks was signed by the Giants to be a starter for them, but he struggled so mightily in the rotation to the point where he was moved to the bullpen.
He can help the Red Sox's bullpen, but he's not worth close to $12.5 million per year when being used as a reliever, and to make matters worse, he's currently on the IL with toe inflammation. Yes, the Red Sox took on an overpaid and injured reliever.
Perhaps the Giants forced the Red Sox to take Hicks if they had to eat the entire Devers contract, but Boston doing that after refusing to eat any of the Devers money makes them only look worse. If they were willing to take on bad money, why not just make the return better by eating some of the Devers deal?
John Henry has a long way to go to earn trust back
At this point, how can Red Sox fans believe anything John Henry says? Whenever he speaks publicly, he talks about how all-in he is on winning, but his actions suggest the opposite. Why else would he not eat a bit of money to get the Red Sox a better return on their franchise player?
I get why the Red Sox wanted to trade Devers. His refusal to play another position when asked was a bad look, and $313.5 million is a ton to give to a player they clearly saw as a DH only. Still, even while he has his limitations as a leader and as a player, the return simply had to be better.
The fact that the return could've been better had Henry spent a bit more money makes the pain even worse. The Red Sox must make some massive moves at the trade deadline and the upcoming offseason to even begin earning trust back from a (rightfully) frustrated and heartbroken fan base.