As Spring Training gets underway, the Boston Red Sox may have an unhappy camper in franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers.
In the wake of Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman signing with the club, the 28-year-old Devers recently made it clear that he wasn’t planning on being relegated to designated hitter duties and the hot corner was his place to stay. Manager Alex Cora has said all winter that Devers is, indeed, still the team’s starter at third base, meaning that Bregman would likely shift to second base.
The new acquisition, for what it’s worth, has said that he’ll play wherever the team wants him to.
With rumblings of Devers’ discontent surrounding Red Sox camp, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer pitched eight “wild” trade ideas that would send the 2018 World Series champion packing.
Rymer did note that at this point, a Devers trade is “probably overly dramatic,” though Boston is “to blame for the existence of this notion.”
How Phillies, Red Sox Lineups Would Look After Unrealistic Trade
With the three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner having signed the richest contract in franchise history ahead of the 2023 campaign (11 years, $331 million), any Devers trade is made even that much more unrealistic. Crazier things have happened, however.
One of the more intriguing ideas proposed by Rymer involves the Philadelphia Phillies:
Phillies receive: Rafael Devers (3B)
Red Sox receive: Alec Bohm (3B), Nick Castellanos (RF), Aidan Miller (SS)
Miller has yet to make his big-league debut, after being selected by Philadelphia with the 27th overall pick during the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft. Miller is the Phillies’ No. 3 prospect — per Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter — reached Double-A late in the 2024 campaign and recently said he wants to make it to “The Show” “as fast as (he) can.”
Bohm is entering his sixth MLB season (all with Philadelphia), after the organization picked him third overall in 2018.
The 2020 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up regressed in 2021 before bouncing back with career highs in runs scored (79) and hits (164) in 2022. Bohm then posted career bests in home runs (20) and RBI (97) in 2023 and had arguably his best year to date in 2024, making his first All-Star team.
The 28-year-old finished last season with 15 home runs and by matching his high mark of 97 RBI, while recording career highs in doubles (44) and total bases (248) and producing a .280/.332/.448 slash line across 554 at-bats in 143 games.
“Do the Phillies need a third baseman? Well, no,” Rymer wrote. “However, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski loves his stars and it’s not as if Bohm is indispensable. Indeed, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported on February 13 that the 28-year-old’s attitude caused ‘frustration’ last season.”
Castellanos will turn 33 in early March, but the 2010 first-round pick has had some of his best seasons this decade, making his only two All-Star teams in 2021 and 2023. Castellanos has been durable throughout his career with the Detroit Tigers (2013-19), Chicago Cubs (2019), Cincinnati Reds (2020-21) and Phillies (2022-present) as well, suiting up in at least 110 games every season (excluding the pandemic-altered 2020 campaign) and 136 contests or more each year other than 2020 and 2016.
After hitting 29 home runs and setting career highs in RBI (106) and stolen bases (11) in 2023, he registered 23 home runs, 86 RBI and a .254/.311/.431 triple slash over 606 at-bats last year while playing all 162 regular season games.
Despite his deficiencies at third, this potential blockbuster would likely see Devers take over Bohm’s spot at the hot corner in the City of Brotherly Love, while Boston would then have a choice between Bohm and Bregman to man the left side of the diamond with shortstop Trevor Story. Bohm, notably, has played 119 career games at first base, though the Red Sox currently have 25-year-old slugger Triston Casas filling that role.
With 2024 Gold Glove Award winner Wilyer Abreu manning right field in Boston, Castellanos would create a logjam and perhaps spell Masataka Yoshida, who’s projected to be the team’s primary designated hitter.
“Castellanos is a frustrating hitter, but the Red Sox would stand to at least get good power out of him as a primary DH and occasional right fielder,” Rymer said.
Other Devers Trade Ideas Proposed by Rymer
Among the other most interesting proposals listed by the Bleacher Report scribe include possible blockbusters with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.
Rymer noted that, despite how out there his pitches were, they all “passed muster with Baseball Trade Values‘ trade simulator.”
In one idea, the Red Sox would send Devers to the World Series-champion Dodgers in exchange for two-time All-Star third baseman Max Muncy, one-time All-Star utilityman Chris Taylor, starting pitcher Bobby Miller and shortstop Alex Freeland (Los Angeles’ No. 4 prospect, per Reuter). Imagine Devers and shortstop Mookie Betts reunited, covering the left side of the Dodgers infield. It would be yet another depressing scene for Red Sox Nation.
Another jaw-dropper from Rymer ships “Raffy” to the other team in the City of Angels, with Boston landing three-time AL MVP outfielder Mike Trout, rookie starting pitcher Samuel Aldegheri and “$100 million cash.” That’s right, this whopper would give the Red Sox an 11-time All-Star and all-time great in Trout, a highly-touted prospect arm and “$100 million cash.”
The final proposed deal in the post would see Devers head north of the border in a one-for-one move for four-time All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Toronto star has been in the news this week after revealing that he and the Blue Jays were unable to agree to a contract extension, meaning that he’ll be a free agent next winter.
The Red Sox, New York Mets and New York Yankees have been named as three “early favorites” to sign Guerrero Jr. following the 2025 campaign.
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