A year ago, trading away Rafael Devers was considered a design to position Boston’s future. Now, it is a prime example of how a franchise-altering decision can ruin its entire fortune. Today, the Red Sox rank 29th in runs scored—worse than when they made the deal.

“The Red Sox never replaced Devers’ bat and have one of the league’s worst offenses,” Jen McCaffrey and Andrew Baggarly stated in their Athletic piece on Monday. 

Devers, the homegrown World Series champion for the Red Sox, played over eight seasons with the club. They signed a ten-year, $313.5 million deal for 2024 to 2033. But before the 2025 trade deadline, Boston sent him off to the San Francisco Giants. Luckily, the Giants agreed to take on the remaining contract and four players in return. But it turned out not so fruitful for Boston.

The original idea was to utilize the amount to spray on a bigger contract for Alex Bregman. But the Red Sox leadership wasn’t willing to accept Bregman’s no-trade demand. The result? After offloading Devers, they lost another key player to free agency as Bregman eventually signed with the Chicago Cubs. Now, a year later, Boston is 29th in the league this season with only 278 runs scored. They are fifth in the AL East with a 29-40 record. 

And the worst part about Devers trade is that it wasn’t a singular mistake. Rather, it was an array of unfruitful decisions. Out of the four players the Red Sox received from SF, they have already parted ways with three of them. Minor leaguer James Tibbs III hardly spent a month before being traded to the Dodgers. He is now hitting .307 with a 1.034 OPS in Triple-A for the LA side. His replacement, Dustin May, went to the Cardinals after a 5.40 ERA and a season-ending right elbow neuritis. 

The Red Sox traded left-hander Kyle Harrison to the Brewers this offseason. And he is having a superb season with a 2.47 ERA and an 8-1 record. RHP Jordan Hicks struggled with an 8.20 ERA. His season-ending right shoulder tendonitis saw him go to the White Sox before the start of this season. 

The only person from the Devers trade who is still in Boston is Jose Bello. He is doing well with a 3.04 ERA. But he is in Single-A, not the majors. 

Devers isn’t doing well with the Giants either. A .235 batting average and a .706 OPS are his career-worst figures. But that’s not a problem for the Red Sox anymore. They have not found suitable replacements, which is the major concern. Marcelo Mayer is batting at .222 with a .593 OPS. Meanwhile, Roman Anthony has been out since May 5 because of a partially torn tendon right hand. He isn’t returning before July. 

The analysts noted that part of the idea behind sending off Rafael Devers was to make more room for Anthony. That’s why the consequences of the trade still haunt the Red Sox. They are 5.0 games behind a Wild Card spot, and there is hardly any evidence of a dramatic turnaround. 

The Red Sox front office faces growing pressure

Ever since Boston parted ways with Rafael Devers, the fans have never forgiven the front office. They have almost blasted the leadership every other day. And their overall performance since the trade has only fueled the frustration. 

The Red Sox even fired one of their most successful managers, Alex Cora, and five other coaches to turn the season around. But interim Chad Tracy couldn’t do a better job with the cards dealt. And it actually got worse, as the 4.1 runs per game before the firing went down to 3.95. 

And most fingers point toward Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow. The Devers trade was one of the biggest highlights of his tenure. While the idea was to find a new direction for the franchise, the entire thing flipped on its head. Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman, and Alex Cora have all been one failed decision after another. 

That’s why Bob Nightengale said that many around baseball expect Boston ownership to evaluate Breslow’s future. And given how the Red Sox see no end to their struggles, fans urge for an immediate evaluation.