“I’m super excited to just be [Devers’] teammate.” Alex Bregman kept it classy, steering clear of the drama, but that didn’t stop the Red Sox from doing the unthinkable: trading away their biggest bat. Rafael Devers‘ stunning exit didn’t just shake up the clubhouse; it fractured the fans’ trust. The move sent shockwaves through Boston, and weeks later, the city is still trying to make sense of it. Turns out, Bregman might be, too.
Devers signed a 10-year, $313 million deal with the team back in 2023, hoping to lock down third base for the long haul. But things began to unravel when the team decided to move him from his promised position, a move made to make room for Bregman. Well, that was only the beginning. As Devers began settling into his new role as designated hitter, the Red Sox made another request, this time, to move him to first base. Tensions escalated after Devers rejected the proposal, and eventually, it all led to his departure. And now Bregman, who has been sidelined with an injury since May 23, has revealed that the trade shocked him.
“I really enjoyed every second of playing with him and being his teammate,” Bregman said in a conversation with NESN. “I think he’s one of the smarter baseball players I’ve ever played with. He’s really good. Just little things and his approach and game plan. Yeah, obviously I was shocked, but it’s well above my pay grade and what I’m supposed to do,” he added. That’s true, Bregman had little to no involvement in the decision.. It came from the front office. And interestingly, his take seems to completely contrast that of Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow.
“I really enjoyed every second of playing with him and being his teammate. He’s one of the smarter baseball players I’ve ever played with… I was shocked but it’s well above my pay grade.”
Alex Bregman on the Rafael Devers trade. pic.twitter.com/OVoSix7wN0
— NESN (@NESN) June 28, 2025
“I do think there’s a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would’ve,” Breslow had told Jeff Passan after the trade. Well… that didn’t age well, did it? The Red Sox have won just three games since the deal and are currently riding an embarrassing six-game losing streak. And guess what? With Devers gone, they now have the lowest OPS in all of MLB. The only game they’ve scored more than five runs in since the trade? It was against the Devers’ new team, the Giants.
It almost seems delusional on Breslow’s part to believe that trading away their best slugger wouldn’t leave a mark. Even as Bregman eyes a return shortly after the All-Star break, it likely won’t change much for the team. The Red Sox are far off from the .500 team they once were. And if fans want someone to hold accountable, they won’t have to look far; Craig Breslow is at the center of it all.
Breslow faces heat from Ex-Rockies GM
Devers has started to wear the Giants’ name with pride and has already settled in well. He’s been hitting consistently, and while the Giants gained a powerful bat, the Red Sox are staring at a void left behind by the two-time Silver Slugger. Breslow came under intense scrutiny after the Devers trade. And now, former Rockies General Manager Dan O’Dowd has stepped in with fresh criticism.
“He [Breslow] does not act like [a former player] to me. It’s perplexing to me,” O’Dowd said in a conversation with Foul Territory. “He acts like a lot of current General Managers, which is, players are part of a portfolio that they buy and sell.” He criticized the way Breslow handled Devers. It’s true — had the team managed Devers’ third base change more carefully, there may have been a better chance he would’ve agreed to play first base.
“Raffy didn’t handle it maturely, but I don’t think the expectation was that he was going to handle that maturely,” O’Dowd added. Yes, Devers could’ve prioritized the team’s needs and accepted the position switch. But the team itself shut the door on that possibility. As Devers says, “That’s in the past. Those are not decisions that I control, and that’s why I’m leaving that in the past right now.” All the Red Sox can do now is use the $250 million they saved on his contract to rebuild and secure their playoff hopes as the trade deadline approaches. But even as Breslow hopes, that won’t be easy, unless the losses start turning into wins.
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