What the Rafael Devers deal means for Blue Jays

For the second time in less five years, the Boston Red Sox shocked the baseball world by trading a home-grown superstar to a team in the National League West. On Sunday afternoon, Boston announced they were sending Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for right-hander Jordan Hicks, lefty starter Kyle Harrison, and outfield prospect James Tibbs. This comes just a few years after the Red Sox dealt Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020.

Early reports indicate that this stemmed from a season long battle between Devers and the Red Sox. Taken from the Boston Globe, “The team's feeling was that a $313.5M contract comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities. They had enough and they traded him.”

Those “responsibilities” lie within the Red Sox expecting Devers to move to first base full time, after they acquired Alex Bregman in the offseason to be their new third baseman. Devers was just two years into a 10-year, $313.5 million deal he signed with Boston in 2023, and playing first base was a move Devers didn’t look fondly upon.

"I'm not sure what (GM Craig Breslow) has with me," Devers told the Boston Herald at the time. “He played ball, and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn't easy."

Amidst all the drama, Devers has been one of the best designated hitters in the MLB this season. In 72 games he has 15 home runs with 57 RBI and a .271/.400/.494 slash line. His .894 OPS is his highest mark since 2019.

With Devers out of the division there is one less premier slugger that the Blue Jays have to contend with several times a season. In 2025 alone, the AL East boasts three of the top six home run hitters in the American League in Aaron Judge (26 HR, Yankees) Junior Caminero (17 HR, Rays), and Devers (15 HR, Red Sox). Devers had also been a thorn in Toronto’s side in head-to-head matchups, with 24 home runs and 74 RBI in 105 games.

The current Toronto pitching staff struggled to contain Devers, with only José Berrios having some success against the slugger from the Dominican Republic. Berrios held Devers to eight hits in 40 at-bats, although two of those hits left the ballpark. Meanwhile, Devers was a combined 19-50 with a .380 batting average against Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman.

It will be interesting to see how Boston uses Hicks as part of their pitching staff. Their rotation has been top heavy with Garrett Crochet (6-4 2.24) leading the charge. Hunter Dobbins (4-1 3.74), and Brayan Bello (2-1 3.96) have had good seasons but Walker Buehler (5-4 5.01), and Lucas Giolito (2-1 5.45) have been below replacement level while Tanner Houck (0-3 8.04) was awful before landing on the injured list.

Hicks, who was a Blue Jays reliever in the second half of 2023, is in the second year of a four-year deal that takes him through 2027. He has struggled this season with a 6.47 ERA in nine starts. He was moved into a bullpen role in mid-May, and he’s given up two earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched in four appearances.

Meantime, it’s too early to tell if the other players in the deal will ever amount to anything.  Harrison is an intriguing 22-year-old prospect who has been optioned to Triple-A by the Red Sox. A third-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft by the Giants, he has a 4.48 ERA with 178 strikeouts in 182.2 innings pitched in 35 major league starts.

Tibbs has spent all season in High-A, hitting .245 with 12 home runs and 32 RBI. He was a 13th round pick in 2024.

While the trade doesn’t completely signify that the Red Sox are waving the white flag on the 2025 season, the Blue Jays should be smiling about the fact that they don’t have to face Devers anymore on a regular basis. Boston is just a few games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East, thanks to a five-game winning streak the Red Sox are currently enjoying, but this isn’t a move that should have Red Sox fans jumping for joy, and certainly doesn’t appear like it will jump the Red Sox back into contention any time soon.