It’s not every day a star player gets traded. The Boston Red Sox did just that on Sunday when they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Naturally, speculation behind the reasoning for the move swirled throughout the fanbase for the next 24 hours.
Red Sox president Sam Kennedy took the podium on Monday night and explained the team’s reasoning for moving on from the star designated hitter.
“We couldn’t find alignment with Raffy. It’s the truth,” Kennedy said. “We all worked at it over the last several months, going back to the offseason.” Kennedy later said that discussions were very candid and honest, but the two sides never agreed on his role.
“Alignment” refers to Devers’ role on the team. He primarily played third base prior to 2025, but the addition of Alex Bregman moved him to a designated hitter role. When Triston Casas was injured, the team approached Devers about filling that role, but the now DH expressed no interest in playing the field.
Overall, the two sides couldn’t see eye-to-eye on how Devers fits into the Red Sox’s immediate and future plans. The Red Sox decided the best way to move forward was to go their separate ways.
Story continues below advertisement
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said that there were times when Devers’ camp indicated a move could be what is best for both sides. The CBO never addressed whether Devers explicitly asked to leave the organization.
The Red Sox play a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants as part of a West Coast road trip that begins on Monday night in Seattle.
