BOSTON — At 4:45 p.m. Sunday, for the first time in nearly a month, Rafael Devers met with reporters to discuss his homer off Max Fried that helped the Red Sox cap off their best weekend of the season with a sweep of the Yankees. Just minutes before, he was celebrating a big Boston win on the field at Fenway Park.
It turns out those moments were his last in a Red Sox uniform.
Hours later, clubhouse attendants at Fenway Park were packing up Devers’ grey Land Rover and sending it on its way. In a shocking Sunday night development, the man who had just hours before talked about how he felt his team was finally hitting its stride was heading West — but separate from the Seattle-bound the Red Sox. Devers had been traded to the Giants in a shocking blockbuster that sent four players — including pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison — to Boston.
“I’m literally speechless on this one,” said one longtime American League scout.
At some point after the game, the Red Sox informed Devers he had been traded to San Francisco. As his team boarded a flight to Seattle at Logan Airport, he got in a cab and headed back to Fenway, where his car was waiting for him. He then drove home, seemingly to pack.
A source with knowledge of the discussions said Sunday that the slugger had not demanded a trade. But the possibility, which had quietly loomed ever since Devers balked at the club’s request for him to move to designated hitter during spring training, likely didn’t crush him, either. Devers has felt for months that he had been poorly treated by the organization and, in emotional moments during spring training, had told friends and confidants that he had considered asking for one.
The Red Sox have been riding high in recent days, winning five straight (and seven of eight, including five of six over the Yankees) to get back to a game over .500. But there have been whispers of back-room meetings about a shakeup in recent days, even after top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer joined the club. Principal owner John Henry was on hand at Fenway on Sunday, making a rare appearance on the field before the game to catch up with legendary sportswriter Peter Gammons, who was honored and threw out a first pitch.
On the field, though, it was status quo for Devers, who hit second as the designated hitter and launched an opposite-field homer off Fried in the sixth inning. After his 31st career blast against the Yankees, he showered, got dressed in team-issued travel gear for the club’s flight to Seattle, then after a brief discussion with a media relations official, came to the clubhouse podium and addressed reporters in a formal setting for the first time since May 17. The session lasted four minutes and 15 seconds.
“Last month, it felt like we were always starting from behind,” Devers said. “Now, it feels like the starting pitcher is giving us a shot to get ahead. That’s very good.
“I feel like we’re playing good baseball. I still feel like we have more. When the guys who are injured come back, we can show we have even more there.”
Since his much-publicized meeting with Henry and manager Alex Cora in Kansas City on May 9, Devers has not revealed what was said behind closed doors at Kauffman Stadium. That night, after a tough Red Sox loss, he told reporters that they should ask team officials — and not him — for details of that meeting. Nothing changed on the field as Devers remained at DH and the Red Sox tried Romy Gonzalez, Abraham Toro and Nick Sogard at first base. Devers wasn’t considered to play third base when Alex Bregman went down with a quad injury in late May. Though Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow often repeated the refrain that “conversations were ongoing” between the team and Devers about potentially taking grounders at some point, he never showed a willingness to do so. Devers took grounders at shortstop for agility purposes before games on this past homestand but Cora reiterated Saturday that he was his DH.
“I feel good,” Devers said Sunday. “I feel like I’ve adapted really well and now I’m just playing baseball.”
Any excitement about a week that saw the Red Sox call up their top prospect Anthony, then go on a mini-heater against their rivals quickly turned to shock. The overlap between Anthony and Devers’ time on the roster lasted six games. It’s a striking reality considering how upbeat Devers seemed about a new core that included rookies Anthony, Mayer and Kristian Campbell.
“We’re playing good baseball and even more when the young kids are here and learning how to play winning baseball,” Devers said. “That’s very good for us.”
The final question that was posed to Devers was whether or not the drama and distractions that had defined the early part of his 2025 season were behind him.
“That has passed,” Devers said.
It sure has.
