When the Boston Red Sox left the baseball world flabbergasted by trading their highest paid player Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants â just two years after signing him to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension â on June 15, the general consensus around MLB was that the Boston chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow had completely botched his job.
Since the Red Sox signed free agent third baseman Alex Bregman just as Spring Training began, Devers was the center of a clubhouse firestorm, at first refusing to move off of third base to make way for the newly acquired Gold Glover, then requesting a trade.
Later, when first baseman Triston Casas went down for the season on May 2 with a severe knee injury, Devers again stonewalled the team, refusing to step in and assume the first base role.
“I don’t feel that they were true to their word,” Devers said at the time, lashing out at Breslow. “They told me that I was going to play this position â DH â and now they’re going back on that.”
Devers an Early Bust in the Bay
Breslow later admitted that he could have done a better job communicating the situation to Devers, and Red Sox media and fans didn’t let him off the hook for it â especially for his comment made in a post-trade press conference that without Devers, “there is a real chance at the end of the season, weâre looking back, and weâve won more games than we otherwise would have.â
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, issues with Devers continued, as he reportedly stood up Giants legendary first baseman Will Clark who had volunteered to tutor the new acquisition at the position.
At that point, events seemed be lining up for another dramatic move. The New York Yankees, who have been without a regular third baseman all season, were suddenly rumored to be eyeing what was described as a “dream” trade for Devers â bringing him back into the American League East to compete against his original team, the Yankees’ arch-rivals.
But this week, new developments have emerged out the Giants camp, news that puts a damper on any Yankees efforts to trade for Devers â and that would appear to vindicate Breslow.
The trade so far has been a disappointment for the Giants. Since his move to the Bay Area, Devers has struck out 32 times, more than all but two other Major League hitters in that time span. His OPS with the Giants of .691 is a whopping 206 points lower than the .905 he posted in Boston this season.
Devers has hit only two home runs with the Giants, just one for every 52 plate appearance, compared one every 22, for 15 total, in Boston.
MRI Reveals Damaged Disk in Devers’ Back
Why has Devers’ performance fallen off the table since he was traded? He claimed to feel “happy” and “relaxed” one he was out of Boston.
As it turns out, Devers is injured. An MRI exam on Thursday showed an injury to a disk in his lower spine â which explains, at least partially, not only the drop-off in his performance but also his continued reluctance to play any role other than designated hitter.
“Thatâs a dealbreaker for New York, which already carries Giancarlo Stanton in the DH spot and has no space to accommodate another bat-only player,” wrote Pinstripes Nation columnist Esteban Quiñones on Sunday. “[General Manager Brian] Cashman and his team are now likely to pivot toward more realistic trade options.”
Is Breslow vindicated” It’s tooearky ti say for sure. However, with Devers no longer on the roster, the Red Sox enter the All-Star break on a 10-game winning streak, just 3 1/2 games out of first place in the division â the closest they’ve been since May 13.
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