MLB Exec Rips Red Sox, 'Absolutely Botched' Rafael Devers Before Giants Trade

One MLB executive was impressed by the return the Boston Red Sox got from sending Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants despite believing the club mishandled the All-Star third baseman's tenure in Boston.

The official from a rival MLB club told ESPN's Jeff Passan that the Red Sox "absolutely botched this entire Devers situation."

"And somehow it all resulted in them getting to dump what was both an underwater contract and a distraction while also getting a bunch of value back in return," the official told Passan.

"It was like, 'Oops, we overpaid for a decade of our bat-only star, pissed him off publicly, then continued to bungle every subsequent opportunity to get things right. Why don't you give us a controllable midrotation starter and your first-round pick from last year and help us get out of it?"

The Red Sox traded Devers to the Giants on Sunday in exchange for a package including pitchers Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and Jose Bello as well as outfielder James Tibbs III.

Another MLB executive who spoke with Passan was less impressed with the decision to trade Devers, regardless of the return.

"These are the Boston f--king Red Sox. You don't trade your stars," the anonymous MLB general manager told Passan.

Harrison was ranked as the top Giants prospect during the 2024 season. Tibbs, drafted by the Giants with the No. 13 pick of the 2024 draft, was ranked as the club's No. 4 prospect prior to the trade.

Hicks, who is currently working his way back from the IL, was primarily a starter in San Francisco. That could change in Boston, where Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described Hicks as a "late-inning reliever" after the trade.

Breslow meanwhile expressed hope Harrison can slot into the rotation, although the Red Sox initially optioned him to Triple A for what Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard said might be "a couple of weeks" (h/t MassLive's Katie Morrison-O’Day.)

MLB.com's Brent Maguire predicted that Tibbs will make his Red Sox debut in 2026, and that Bello would have to wait until 2028 or 2029 to reach the majors.

The Red Sox ultimately got two pitchers who could help in the short-term and two prospects to bolster their pipeline in exchange for moving the remaining eight and a half years of Devers' $313.5 million deal.

That could be seen as a success, considering the publicly strained relationship between Devers, who said before the season that he wouldn't change positions, and the Red Sox, who signed Alex Bregman and moved him anyway.

Given that Devers is in the middle of what could turn into one of the most productive seasons of his career, however, the Red Sox may need to reinvest the money previously dedicated to his contract elsewhere in order to contend in the near future.