Red Sox-Giants Devers deal reminds Toronto of this incredible trade from 2014

The Toronto Blue Jays were recently stunned when their AL East Division rival the Boston Red Sox traded third baseman Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The trade caught people by surprise as Devers was the face of the franchise in Boston. He was a three-time All-Star and won two Silver Sluggers and was part of Boston's 2018 World Series championship team. Devers also had three 30-home run seasons and 100-RBI seasons.

In Boston, Devers was one of the best third basemen in all of baseball and the Devers trade brings up memories of the time the Blue Jays made a trade for a third baseman who contributed big for the team.

Devers trade recalls Toronto's trade for the Bringer of Rain in 2014

Over a decade ago, the Blue Jays had high hopes for third baseman Brett Lawrie, but he never turned into that player that the team could build around. In November 2014, the Blue Jays traded Lawrie and some prospects to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for third baseman Josh Donaldson. Donaldson had made the All-Star Game for the first time in 2014 and helped the Athletics make the postseason from 2012-2014. However, some thought a change of scenery to Toronto could shake Donaldson's confidence, but it wouldn't happen.

In his first season in Toronto in 2015, Donaldson immediately became a Blue Jays legend by winning the 2015 AL MVP, the first Blue Jay since George Bell in 1987 to win the that award. Donaldson's MVP season helped fuel the Blue Jays and the city of Toronto. Rogers Centre was starting to be packed and Donaldson was a big reason why. In 2015, the Blue Jays won the AL East Division and made the postseason for the first time since 1993.

The Blue Jays would make the ALCS in 2015 and 2016 with Donaldson on the team. Donaldson became a two-time All-Star in Toronto. Donaldson hit 116 home runs in 462 games as a Blue Jay before being traded to the then Cleveland Indians in the 2018 season. While Donaldson thrived in his time in Toronto, Lawrie flopped after being traded. Lawrie spent the 2015 season with Oakland where he recorded career-highs with 16 home runs and 60 runs batted in.

After 2015, Lawrie joined the Chicago White Sox where he struggled and played 94 games. The shocking thing is Lawrie never played an MLB game again after 2016.

The Devers trade is still mind blowing to some that Boston would trade a cornerstone player. However, it helped remember the time the Blue Jays were able to pull off a similar trade, in a move that helped bring them back to prominence around MLB.