After completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees on Sunday night, vibes were at a season-high for the Boston Red Sox. Securing their fifth victory over their AL East foes in just nine days, the Red Sox finally climbed over the .500 mark on Sunday night...but little did fans and players know that it would come with a price.
While making the long flight from the northeast to the pacific northwest for a series against the Seattle Mariners, the Red Sox's front office was back home making one of the biggest trades in recent franchise history, by shipping All-Star slugger, Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
The deal sends Devers, who the Red Sox were less than two-years removed from making him the highest-paid player in franchise history after signing him to an 11-year, $330 million extension in 2023. The Giants sent former top-25 prospect, Kyle Harrison alongside veteran reliever, Jordan Hicks to Boston, in addition to prospects Jose Bello and James Tibbs III.
The full reported trade between the Red Sox and Giants, sending Rafael Devers to San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/wxw3daEVAh
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 16, 2025
The Devers trade has Red Sox fans having nightmares of another time the club dealt their best positional player in their prime, as they did in 2020 with Los Angeles Dodgers star, Mookie Betts, who commented on the 'crazy' deal.
“I just thought it was crazy,” Betts said. "Nothing really to say, they're just crazy.”
Betts, of course, was traded from the Red Sox to the Dodgers back in 2020 for a similarly less-than-stellar package of young players, Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong. Verdugo is currently with the Atlanta Braves, while the prized possession of the deal in Downs, who now plays with the NPB's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan. Wong is still with the Red Sox, platooning behind the plate with the club's standout rookie, Carlos Narvaez.
While Betts has publicly said he'll always have admiration for the city of Boston even after the trade, he doesn't feel bad after the club traded yet another superstar player in their prime.
“I genuinely don’t care, it just is what it is," Betts admitted.
After a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners, the Red Sox will travel to San Francisco for a weekend series against Devers and the Giants, beginning on Friday night.
Devers is expected to make his Giants debut on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians.