Shocking trade by the Red Sox may not be their last move

The Boston Red Sox became the first team to make a major move in a trade this season when they dealt their best position player, Rafael Devers, to the San Francisco Giants.

They received two disappointing pitchers and two prospects in exchange. And maybe they're just getting started.

This deal shocked many in baseball. But I'm not sure it's all that surprising. In fact, I expected something like this might happen.

I guess the thing that caught a lot of people off-guard is that the Red Sox are by no means out of the playoff race. In fact, they are right in the middle of it.

As of the time I am writing this, which is Monday night, the Sox are riding a six-game winning streak, which places them 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East. But more importantly, for purposes of this conversation, they are right above the cut line as far as the wild card race is concerned, meaning that if the schedule ended right now, they would be in the postseason.

At the moment, the Ref Sox are +1400 to win the division title and +2000 to win the American League pennant, according to the folks at BetOnline.

The Giants are in slightly better shape right now, as they are just 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and in wild card position in the National League.

Remember that these wild card teams play in a three-game series now. So it's really something to play for.

So why does one team look so much like the "buyer" and the other one like the "seller"? And is that really the case?

Are the Red Sox gearing up for something else?

The immediate reflex is that you may want to criticize Boston; because they are the team that didn't look like it got nearly as much immediate help in return. Are they waving the white flag already? Do they fit the description of a "seller" and if so, will they keep selling?

Consider this: that the most prominent and productive player that is going to be traded before the deadline - this is almost certain - went so far IN ADVANCE of the deadline.

That might tell you something.

Yes, the Red Sox could have waited and gotten more bidders, but it seems obvious that they knew this was a deal they were going to make, and this gives them more time to point some of the money they're going to save (Devers' deal pays him $29.5 million this year). in another direction.

So this may not be strictly a cost-cutting measure, but instead a matter of re-apportionment.

In other words, something else might be on the horizon.

I know that Bosox fans have been down this road with all the Juan Soto speculation, and we could add some other names to that list, but this is a team that does not lack for funds, and they are not at all incapable of catching a big fish.

So these rumors are flying around that if the price was right, Pittsburgh might be willing to part with Paul Skenes (1.78 ERA, 0.854 WHIP as of Monday's action) because they wouldn't really have much hope of signing him when he eventually becomes a free agent. The iron may be "hot" right now.

If he goes in a trade, the Dodgers are the favorites to get him, at +250 (at BetOnline), but the Red Sox are not far out of it at +600.

Boston has some trade chips it can use. For one thing, the Sox brought up the three top prospects out of their system this year, with Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Meyer making their major league debuts. And now they have one of San Francisco's best prospects (ranked #4 by sources) in James Tibbs III, who was a first-round draft pick out of Florida State but is only now just entering Double-A ball.

Ceddane Rafaela and Triston Casas (though injured) might have some value in a package. There are other prospects too, like Franklin Arias. And there might be a market for pitcher Walker Buehler out there, even though he hasn't had a stellar season thus far.

Skenes would extract a heavy price, but just imagine the 1-2 combo he could make with Garrett Crochet in the rotation.

At the time of the trade, Devers had 15 homers, 58 RBI's (which was third in the American League) and drew 56 walks, which was the top figure in the AL, with an average of .272. And he did that after a very rough start where he was hitless in his first 21 at bats.

So you might say the Red Sox sold high, although those who have followed their situation closely might wonder why they sold at all.

Maybe the easiest answer is that they just couldn't stand having him around any more.

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Was Devers a poison pill?

It started when Boston made a move to acquire Alex Bregman, who has a reputation for being one of the premier defensive third basemen in the game. Devers, by contrast, is an awful glove man at third baseman.

I guess the assumption was that Devers would be overjoyed to put down that errant glove and hightail it over to the DH spot.

However, that assumption was wrong. Devers refused to leave third base, and he was pretty vocal about it too. That created a problem, but eventually it was averted as Devers, after some hand-holding, agreed to make the movie.

But then an injury to Casas created another potential move, and they asked Devers to take some grounders at first base. He refused more adamantly this time, and that was the last straw.

Buster Olney of ESPN reported that Devers' steadfast refusal to go to first, even when the owner asked him to, led to the Red Sox shopping him to other teams. This is what he said:

"They basically are saying that after Devers did not respond following John Henry getting on a plane and going out to Kansas City, and he didn't take ground balls after that, the perception of other teams was, ‘Yeah, he was gone.’ Red Sox were going to move him when he didn't respond to the owner who was paying him that contract."

There are a couple of ways to look at the situation. One is that when you have a guy who is the offensive cornerstone of your lineup, just leave him the f**k alone and let him hit. Don't try to move him all over the layout.

The other way to look at it is that this is a guy who is making an average of $31 million yearly on a ten-year deal, and he might consider doing whatever he can to help the team in a spot where they need him. And if he wants to give you a hard time about it, you let him go and get whatever you can for him.

Obviously the Sox took the latter point of view, and since he criticized management for creating the situation, he became a guy with a "bad attitude."

To be fair, the Red Sox could have probably found someone else to play first base, although arguably they could have had a better lineup if they could have played Devers there.

But what's done is done, and GM Craig Breslow believes his team can have a more harmonious clubhouse by ridding itself of the slugger. I suppose that's the "addition by subtraction" principle.

Where does Devers fit in with the Giants?

From the Giants' standpoint, they get the kind of guy they really need. This is a team that has gotten great pitching to put them in a contending spot, but the offense has been a big letdown. They are hitting .233 as a team, with a .312 on-base percentage. Catcher Patrick Bailey has been below the .200 mark. Shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a huge free agent contract, is struggling to stay over that .200 mark.

Heliot Ramos and Wilmer Flores are the only healthy players who have really been delivering (Matt Chapman's hand injury might keep him out until after the All-Star break). So Devers immediately becomes the biggest bat in the lineup. The Giants are +600 to win the NL West and +1100 to capture the NL pennant at BetOnline.

The irony is that the Red Sox and Giants both have defensive aces at third base who are currently out with injuries. Bregman may be back with the Red Sox before the All-Star break, but manager Alex Cora did move Devers back there in the interim.

Chapman has won five Gold Gloves at the hot corner, in addition to two Platinum Gloves (indicating he was the best overall defender in his league). So you KNOW Devers isn't replacing him, although I have a feeling that's where he wants to play.

The best solution for the Giants is for Flores to go from DH to first base, making room for Devers. And they'll go from there. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge, currently at Double-A Richmond, is at least a year away from assuming the first base spot.

But the Devers situation may ultimately bring some unwanted drama. And he's perfectly capable of creating it.

So what do the Red Sox get for their star?

I'm sure San Francisco didn't feel as if they gave up too much. Tibbs is a prospect who hasn't yet played above Single-A ball. Jose Bello, a young pitcher, has been playing in the Arizona Complex League, so he's just getting started.

Boston gets right-hander Jordan Hicks, and he may be an interesting proposition for them. This is a guy who's gone through some injury problems, but he is among the hardest throwers in the majors, topping off at an other-worldly 105 on the radar gun.

But he belongs in the bullpen. I hope you don't mind if I quote myself, from a story posted here at OSGA on March 15:

"The Giants decided to convert him from a reliever to a starter last season, with mixed results. His velocity dipped, as he tried to pace himself, and he was not strong after a few innings, or a few months.

We’re wondering if having him in the rotation is a mistake. After all, his 'smoke' is the best thing he does, and taking that away is like neutering the guy. If there was any way he could get back to the bullpen, it would give the Giants even more depth there."

Hicks is 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA, and the Giants sent him back to the bullpen for his last few appearances, perhaps as a showcase.

Left-hander Kyle Harrison also comes to Boston. Harrison was at one time the #1 prospect in the Giants' organization, and he's flashed some brilliance here and there. But he hasn't developed any consistency; he started this season in Triple-A Sacramento and he's had a 4.56 ERA in eight outings with the big club (which is the same ERA he posted last year). Potentially, he's a starter for the Red Sox.

The "addiction by subtraction" thing might indeed work when it comes to Devers and his attitude. But the Red Sox are going to need more "additions" if they are going to stay in the playoff race for very long.

To make the playoffs, the Red Sox are +170, while the Giants are -175, as posted at BetOnline, where you can go right now and get your fil of MLB futures and props....... It's very easy to sign up for an account; use your debit or credit card, or choose any of sixteen different cryptocurrency options they have available, including Bitcoin!