The two signature American League East franchises are mired in chaos at opposite corners of the infield.
The New York Yankees have no starting third baseman after losing Oswaldo Cabrera, who was a stopgap solution anyway, to a fractured ankle earlier this week. They're now left with unproven youngsters and an aging DJ LeMahieu at an important two-way position.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas for the season, and former third baseman (now designated hitter) Rafael Devers is publicly refusing to move to a new position for the second time in three months.
The rift between the Red Sox and Devers is a serious matter, and it's led some opportunists to speculate that Boston could unload its franchise player in a shocking trade with eight years left on his contract. However, one insider has hesitations about the Yankees potentially getting involved.
On Tuesday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic gave a pessimistic prognosis about the Yankees acquiring Devers, a three-time All-Star, from their oldest and most bitter rivals.
"The Yankees need a new third baseman, though he could be in-house," Kuty wrote. "And don’t expect the Boston Red Sox to look to unload Rafael Devers to their rivals."
Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp
Whether a Yankees fan might love the idea of getting Devers or hate it, the only realistic take is that it's highly, highly unlikely to happen.
First, there's the leap of faith required to assume the Red Sox would consider trading him at all (which is a big one), then there's the even bigger leap of assuming they'd somehow be okay with him wearing pinstripes.
The chances that the Yankees land Devers, by the laws of probability, are not zero. But they're pretty darn close.
More MLB: Dodgers make major Roki Sasaki decision after struggling star's shoulder injury