Mind-Blowing Trade Idea Would Ship Disgruntled Red Sox Slugger to Hated AL Rival
The Boston Red Sox fans are feeling so positive heading into the season, after the club’s most productive offseason at least since 2018, that the “Hope-o-Meter” published by The Athletic shows the notoriously pessimistic New England fan base registering a whopping 91.8 percent optimism. But the team’s premier slugger Rafael Devers, entering the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension he signed with the Red Sox in 2023, has thrown at least something of a dark shadow over the sunny mood by publicly expressing his disgruntlement over the team’s request that he become a full-time designated hitter. The move would clear the way for new free agent acquisition and 2024 Gold Glove winner Alex Bregman to take over third base for the Red Sox. Devers was so upset that he reportedly
considered asking the Red Sox to trade him. Would they do it? So far, the Red Sox have shown no appetite for dealing away their 28-year-old three-time All-Star. But if they did, Robert Casey of the Yankees site Bleeding Yankee Blue on Wednesday proposed a trade that he said “will make everyone’s head explode.” The deal would send Devers from the Red Sox to their longest-standing and most hated rival. That is, of course, the Yankees. “What could the Yankees even offer? The package would have to be massive,” Casey wrote. “Think Jasson Domínguez, Spencer Jones, Will Warren – heck, maybe they toss in Marcus Stroman just for fun. If that happens, the power dynamic could shift instantly. Suddenly, Boston would have a nice collection of future stars, and the Yankees … well, they’d have Devers.”
More MLB: ‘Bad Look’ For Red Sox as $315.5 Million Face of Franchise Still Sits Out Spring Domínguez is the Yankees’ top-ranked prospect and, despite his well-publicized defensive struggles is currently tabbed as New York’s starting left-fielder when opening day rolls around next Thursday. Power-hitting outfielder Jones in the Bronx Bombers No. 3 prospect while Warren, a 25-year-old righty, comes in at No. 5, and is the second-ranked Yankees pitching prospect. In other words, under this trade proposal, the Yankees would ship out three of their top five
prospects. On the other hand, as Casey wrote, “they’d have Devers.” Making essentially the same proposal in a piece for SI.com, Yankees writer Michael Brauner said that if the Yankees wanted to make a deal happen, they must be “willing to deal from the top of the pile.” Such a deal, Brauner said, would be “earth shattering.” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said this week that he plans for his opening day lineup to feature Devers batting second, so if Boston brass are planning to deal Devers away, they apparently have not clued in their on-field manager as of yet. More MLB: Red Sox $313.5 Million Star May Demand Trade After Alex Bregman Signing
