Rafael Devers Landing Spots Amid Red Sox Drama, MLB Trade Rumors Buzz
Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers triple-slashed .476/.577/.810 last week, earning American League Player of the Week honors.
He also stirred up quite the firestorm with his remarks last Thursday, with the now-former third baseman saying he wants no part of playing first base as the Red Sox try to figure things out in the aftermath of Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury.
It was the latest flare up in what has been a months-long saga between Devers and the decision-makers in Boston.
Perhaps the issues go back even further, but the relationship began to turn publicly acrimonious when the Nolan Arenado trade rumors surfaced early this past offseason. Actually signing Alex Bregman to play third base only made things worse, though Devers did eventually say he would do whatever they ask him to do.
Channeling his inner Meat Loaf, though, it was a hearty "But I won't do that" when Devers was asked about playing some first base. And now The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal has suggested "a trade at some point isn't all that far-fetched," while USA Today's Bob Nightengale said, "The next step could be Devers formally requesting a trade, which likely would not be strongly considered until the offseason."
Well, if the 28-year-old does hit the trade block, where are the most logical landing spots?
While it's plausible either the relationship or the Red Sox's record gets so bad in the next few months that a Devers trade ends up being this summer's blockbuster, we're agreeing with Nightengale's "not until the offseason" timeline with this early ranking of which teams would be most interested in acquiring him for 2026 and beyond.
What Is Devers' Trade Value?
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Devers has received AL MVP votes in each of the past four seasons, and despite infamously starting out 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts in the months-long public relations circus that this season has been for him, he's well on his way to a fifth straight year receiving MVP votes.
He is 28 years old and presently one-eighth of the way through a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension signed in January 2023. That deal will run through the 2033 campaign, otherwise read as his age-36 season.
Compared to some of the megadeals signed in recent years that are banking on third basemen and shortstops playing into their early 40s—i.e. Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner, etc.—36 isn't too shabby.
Also not shabby is that $31.35 million AAV if he can continue to perform at a high level. If Alex Bregman's season stays anywhere close to its current trajectory, he's going to opt out of the remainder of his deal with Boston and probably sign for close to that AAV, even at three years older than Devers. And Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just last month signed a mammoth extension with an AAV of nearly $36M.
Here's a fun fact about Devers, too: Getting away from playing home games at Fenway Park could provide a significant boost. Per Statcast, his career "Expected Home Runs by Park" in Boston is only 195, thanks to the Green Monster turning a lot of his would-be home runs into doubles, or deep outs in that alcove to the center field side of that 37-foot wall. But in 12 other parks, his expected HR total is north of 225.
It's a complete hypothetical because there are no opt-outs in his deal, but if Devers was hitting free agency this winter and signed an eight-year, $250 million deal, it would feel like a bit of a steal for the team getting him.
Unless you're worried that his discontent with Boston is going to follow him to his new home, let's just say the Red Sox wouldn't be lacking for interested parties if they did put Devers on the trade block this winter.
Whether at third base or DH, Devers could be a cornerstone for the next eight years for a franchise that doesn't go out of its way to irk him.
Nos. 10-6: Yankees, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Mets, Angels
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10. New York Yankees: If we were talking about a star third baseman from just about any other team hitting the trade block, the Yankees would easily rank top-three among the motivated suitors, both needing a solution at that spot on the diamond and having more than enough money to make it happen. But there is just no way the Red Sox would trade him to the Yankees. Only mentioning them here to mention that they shouldn't be mentioned.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks: Eugenio Suárez is in the final year of his deal, but Arizona's answer is probably the 22-year-old it called up on Monday, Jordan Lawlar. At any rate, it's more likely the D-backs spend to replace Zac Gallen in the rotation and/or Josh Naylor at first base than investing heavily in Devers. Then again, who foresaw them signing Corbin Burnes a few months ago?
8. Detroit Tigers: Thought they might pony up the money to sign Alex Bregman this past offseason, but maybe they'll swing big for Devers next winter instead? It will depend to some extent on whether Jace Jung becomes the key at third they think he can be, as well as how things go for the Tigers this October.
7. New York Mets: If Pete Alonso opts out and actually leaves Queens this offseason, the Mets instantly become a much more serious suitor for a top-tier corner infielder. But re-upping with the Polar Bear feels more likely than trading for Devers.
6. Los Angeles Angels: With the Anthony Rendon albatross of a contract mercifully coming to an end after next season, the Halos might preemptively strike and live with spending $70 million on a pair of third basemen in 2026 in order to address what has been a problematic spot in their lineup for well over a decade.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Dodgers are still required to rank in the top five for any marquee player available, right?
That's a joke, of course. It was never required. Constantly feared, perhaps. Always within the realm of possibility, for certain. But never mandated.
It would make an awful lot of sense for them to trade for a star third baseman this offseason, though.
Max Muncy has gotten out to a rough start to the year, entering Monday with a sub-.600 OPS. And he isn't getting any younger, turning 35 this summer. The Dodgers have a $10 million club option (with no buyout) to bring him back next season, but that is questionable, at best, to be exercised at this point.
Even if they decline their options for both Muncy and Chris Taylor, the Dodgers do already have 11 players slated for at least eight figures next season, that nucleus is scheduled for a combined sum of nearly $225 million.
If you think that's going to slow them down, though, you must be new here. Los Angeles currently has an estimated payroll north of $400 million this season, on the hook for over $550 million after you factor in the tax payment. The difference between 11 players making nearly $225 million and 12 players making about $255 million is practically a pittance to them.
Moreover, they have more than enough quality prospects to grease the wheels on the ol' trade machine.
But the Dodgers only check in at No. 5 because of one big question: Is Boston seriously going to even entertain the possibility of sending Devers to play alongside Mookie Betts for the next seven years?
As if trading away the third baseman wouldn't be enough of a slap in the face of a fanbase that you finally placated a little by giving Devers that extension in the first place, pairing him with the other "one who got away" would be incomprehensible and unforgivable.
4. Philadelphia Phillies
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Were this hypothetical trade taking place right now, it would be a major, perhaps unfeasible, financial challenge for the Phillies to pull off.
They've consistently had a top five payroll for five years running, and even at that, their 2025 Opening Day payroll was already $40 million more than their previous high. It's why the Phillies signing Alex Bregman always felt a little far-fetched, even as his free-agency dance lingered into mid-February.
Fast-forward to this offseason, though, with JT Realmuto ($23.875 million), Kyle Schwarber ($20 million), Max Kepler ($10 million) and a few pitchers coming off the books, and finding the room for Devers' contract becomes much more doable.
Of course, if both the three-time All-Star catcher and two-time All-Star designated hitter walk this winter, those are new holes in the Phillies' lineup and arguably more problematic than a third base situation with Alec Bohm not performing up to snuff. He's just one more year away from free agency in his own right.
Then again, trading for Devers and feeling much better about the long-term future at third base is probably a better use of funds than reinvesting heavily in what will be a 35-year-old catcher by the start of next season.
It all hinges on Bohm, though.
He racked up at least 150 hits in each of the past three seasons and was an All-Star last year, but he struggled in the second half en route to becoming one of the faces of their postseason failure, going 1-for-13 with a single that immediately became an out when he tried to stretch it into a double.
If Bohm continues to play at a below-replacement level as he has for about two-thirds of a season at this point, drastic measures at the hot corner could be taken.
3. St. Louis Cardinals
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Wouldn't it be funny if—after an offseason in which we thought Boston might acquire Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals—Devers ended up in St. Louis?
But wouldn't it also make a lot of sense for Chaim Bloom—who was chief baseball officer when the Red Sox signed the extension with Devers, and in the process of succeeding John Mozeliak as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations—to do whatever it takes to get his man?
What becomes of Arenado in St. Louis is, obviously, a huge factor here, as the likely Hall of Fame-bound third baseman is signed through 2027 and having a solid 2025 season.
However, while the latest smoke around a possible Devers trade stems from his refusal to play first base, Arenado was reportedly willing to shift across the diamond to first base if it helped facilitate a trade this past offseason. So, it's plausible the Cardinals could have two multiple-time All-Star third basemen in their infield in 2026.
Making it work financially could be tricky with Sonny Gray's salary ballooning to $35 million in 2026. But they do have quite a bit of money coming off the books this offseason—about $46 million just in Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, Ryan Helsley and Steven Matz—and nobody signed beyond 2027, save for either a $17.5 million club option or $5 million buyout due to Willson Contreras in 2028.
At some point, they'll need to think about signing the likes of Masyn Winn, Matthew Liberatore and others to long-term extensions, but trading for Devers would be a massive leap in the direction of (and perhaps directly past) the rebuild we thought was coming this past offseason.
2. Chicago Cubs
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As with St. Louis, there are some "higher up" connections that almost mandate we at least consider a trade here, that connection being Theo Epstein going from a decade with Boston to a decade with Chicago and now back to Boston as a senior adviser and part-owner with the Fenway Sports Group.
If anyone in Boston knows which elbows to rub in Wrigleyville, surely it's Epstein.
Beyond that connection, though, there's the fact that the Cubs have been floundering at third base since the end of the Kris Bryant era.
They do have Matt Shaw, who is one of the highest rated prospects in all of baseball, maybe tops among those likely to spend the bulk of their career playing third base.
But are the Cubs "no thanks, Rafael Devers, we're set at the hot corner" confident in his future as their third baseman?
Maybe it'd be a different answer if he had made a better first impression, but Shaw lasted just 18 games with a .535 OPS and a trio of errors before they sent him back down to Triple-A Iowa.
If they're all-in on him at least playing somewhere for the big league club for the next half-decade, Shaw does also have quite a bit of middle infield experience in college/minors and could be the answer to the looming question of what to do at second base when Nico Hoerner reaches free agency after the 2026 season.
The other big question in play here is what they plan to do about Kyle Tucker's impending free agency.
Spotrac puts his market value at 12 years, $539 million. ESPN's Jeff Passan also recently had Tucker in his rarefied air of players who could sign $500 million contracts. And if the Cubs are the ones making that happen, it's pretty unlikely they'll then turn around and trade for the roughly quarter of a billion dollars left on Devers' deal.
But in addition to Shaw as a top prospect, Chicago also has Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara as highly touted outfielders playing at Iowa who could be infinitesimally cheaper solutions to the forthcoming Tucker dilemma. And if that's the route they go, trading for Devers becomes a real possibility.
1. Washington Nationals
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Since winning the 2019 World Series with impending free agent Anthony Rendon manning the hot corner, both the Washington Nationals and their third base situation have been abysmal.
Per FanGraphs WAR, they've gotten less value out of third base than any other club since the beginning of 2020, with 21 different players combining to average one home run for every 57 plate appearances.
Were it not for that solid four-month stretch Jeimer Candelario had before they traded him to the Cubs, it would be even more of a wasteland.
But Washington could be one big splash away from becoming a legitimate contender again in 2026.
James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams are thriving. Ideally, Dylan Crews will soon start hitting well enough to join that club of foundational pieces. Josiah Gray should be back from Tommy John surgery, rejoining what could be a stout rotation.
Most pertinent to this discussion, though: No one in that group of key players is exactly making big money right now.
In fact, after going north of $200 million to win it all in 2019, the Nats presently have the lowest "active 26-man" payroll for 2026, and undeniably have the financial flexibility to go out and acquire a Devers-sized contract, even with quite a bit of dead/deferred money still owed to Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer.
The one small fly in the ointment here is that Washington's top position player prospect, Brady House, has almost exclusively played third base over the past three years and may well be playing third base for the big league club by the end of this season.
However, that's more of a minor hurdle to be cleared than a reason to avoid turning what has been a black hole into a position of strength. And if House is willing and able to make the shift to first base that Devers won't, that could be a "two birds, one stone" solution to what has been a woeful corner infield situation for a few years.
