Over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox grabbed league-wide attention upon trading their star slugger Rafael Devers. He had been the face of the franchise for the longest time you remember. Think of Aaron Judge in the Bronx, or let’s say even Bryce Harper in the Phillies—that’s what Rafael Devers was to the Red Sox.

Right before Devers’ trade to the San Francisco Giants, he played one final time for the Red Sox against their longtime rival—the New York Yankees. He stepped up to the plate and dominated Yankees’ pitcher Max Fried. That very game ended in Boston’s clean sweep of the Yankees. For the record, time and again Devers has been a threat to the Yankees.

Naturally, the most candid reaction to the Devers trade had to come from the Yankeeland.

As revealed by ESPN’s Buster Olney on Sunday Night Baseball, the reactions came pouring in from all over the league over Devers’ trade. One reaction that he specifically emphasized on was from an anonymous Yankees executive. It read, “Glad he’s gone. Yankee killer.”

Further, he shared another such reaction that was anonymously sent by a Yankee member. “Good riddance. Thank God, because this guy murders us.” That’s true. Across 119 games against the Bronx Bombers, Devers has recorded a stunning .270/.348/.533 slash line along with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs. He has simply been a nightmare to the Yanks.

The trade also got attention of the Yankees’ manager, Aaron Boone. However, his reaction wasn’t subtle. He sent a text to the analyst Eduardo Perez. It had no words, but an emoji which was telling enough. A wide-eyed emoticon with its mouth agape. To decode, perhaps Boone was either shocked or maybe relieved.

Relieved because after Devers’ trade, the Yankees won’t have to face him as often. Probably just thrice every season unless the Yankees go against the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

So, that was the Yankees’ stance on Devers and the Red Sox. However, what about the Sox? Where do they stand?

Red Sox opened up on trading Devers

The dust has not settled yet. It was just this weekend when the Red Sox bade farewell to Devers. In return, they brought in Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs III (outfielder), and Jose Bello (pitcher).

Now, after the shocking move that grabbed all the headlines, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow explained Devers’ trade from his perspective. He went on emphasizing the fact that this move wasn’t solely about Devers. Boston’s main idea was to build a complete and reliable team.

In Breslow’s words, “It’s about winning the most games we can on the field.” He stated this during a Zoom call with the media on Monday.

Boston’s front office wanted to increase the flexibility of the roster. But more so, the agenda was to get more young prospects for a future perspective. This way, the team believes they could stack more wins than ever before. Now, that’s bold.

If you think about it, Devers gave a lot to the Red Sox. He moved from his desirable third base spot to make room for Alex Bregman. During spring training he was moved to the DH. But that was not it.

After Triston Casas’ injury, he was expected to move to first base. And, that perhaps seemed unfair to him. But he still delivered exceptionally till his last at bat against the Yankees. So, even with Devers, the team could’ve stacked wins. But again, this trade was for the best.

The Red Sox got their young prospects, and even Devers is “happy” about his trade to the Giants. Seems a win-win for both parties. At least for now!