The Boston Red Sox are expected to be one of the top teams in the MLB, but one analyst shared a surprising trade pitch that would shake up the roster.
MLB writer Sam Bernardi of Athlon Sports shared a trade pitch that would see Boston dealing Rafael Devers to the Detroit Tigers.
Tigers acquire:
Red Sox acquire:
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster deal, but one that doesn’t seem like Boston would do.
The Red Sox would trade Devers, who’s in the second year of a 10-year, $325 million deal. The slugger was Boston’s third baseman, but after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, which made Devers became frustrated with his role, which could lead to a trade. In Detroit, Devers would get the chance to start at third and add some much-needed offense to the lineup.
In return, the Red Sox would acquire Torkelson, who’s a first baseman but could be Boston’s designated hitter and replace Devers. He was selected first overall in 2020 and is under team control through the 2028 season.
The Red Sox would also acquire Clark, who’s an outfield prospect and ranked as Detroit’s second-ranked prospect. Clark was selected third overall in 2023 and reached A+ in 2024.
The final player Boston would acquire in the mock trade is Holton, who’s a left-handed reliever. Holton could be a middle-inning reliever for the Red Sox. In 2024, Holton went 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 66 games, including nine starts.
Analyst Explains Surprising Red Sox-Tigers Trade
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster but would come as a bit of a surprise.
However, Bernardi thinks the deal does make sense for both sides.
“Would either team do this trade? Maybe, maybe not. For Boston, it’s a chance to evaporate off-field drama and bring in present contributions as well as future hope. For the Tigers, they would be adding one of the elite batters in the league as they pursue another postseason bid,” Bernardi wrote.
The analyst believes both teams would improve their roster as Boston gets more depth, while Detroit gets a superstar to bolster their chances of winning the AL Central.
Red Sox Make Devers an Everyday DH
After Boston signed Bregman, what position Devers would play with the Red Sox became a talking point.
However, ahead of Opening Day, manager Alex Cora announced on WEEI Radio that Devers will be the team’s designated hitter.
“We had conversations throughout Spring Training, and (Devers) was very vocal about how he felt,” Cora said. “We made a decision. Alex is going to play third, and Raffy is going to DH. We all are in the winning business, and (Devers) understands that. It’s like everything, you don’t have to agree with it, but at the end of the day, (this is) what we’re going to do to perform every single day.”
Devers was vocal throughout spring training that he is a third baseman, but that won’t be the case in the 2025 MLB season.
To begin the season, Devers has yet to record a hit through 8 at-bats in two games.
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