Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team president and CEO Sam Kennedy met with reporters on Monday to address Sunday’s surprising trade of Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
With the team beginning a nine-game West Coast road trip in Seattle (which includes three games against the Giants from June 20 to 22), Kennedy and Breslow issued statements and then took questions from reporters over a streaming video call.
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Both executives repeatedly emphasized that the team “couldn’t find alignment” with Devers on his future role and the best direction going forward.
“We worked at it, we had a different vision for him going forward than he had,” Kennedy said. “We couldn’t get there, what we felt we needed from him that would be in the best interest of the ball club.”
Without that agreement, Breslow suggested that the Red Sox would be a better team without Devers, allowing the front office and clubhouse to move in the same direction with a “functional and complete team.”
“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 have,” he said.
Breslow explained that Devers and his representation did not formally request a trade. But during conversations regarding a move to designated hitter and then a possible position change to first base, Devers’ people indicated that perhaps a fresh start elsewhere might be best.
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Additionally, Breslow declined to specify whether the Red Sox talked to any other MLB teams about a potential Devers trade. However, he indicated that conversations with various front offices provided an idea of what might be attainable in such a deal.
“We rightfully set a really high bar to execute a trade of this magnitude,” he said. “Making this move made more sense for us than not making it. If we didn’t get the return we were hoping for, we would not have made it.”
Breslow also acknowledged that he frequently asked himself if the situation with Devers could have gone better if he’d addressed a possible position change in the offseason. He added that he hopes the next time such a situation arises, he can manage it differently before relations deteriorate.
“I need to own the things that I could have done better,” he admitted.
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Devers was moved to DH over his objections after Boston signed free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason. Then, after being asked to move to first base following a season-ending injury to Triston Casas, Devers refused and publicly criticized Breslow for his decision-making.
Breslow said that manager Alex Cora was behind the trade and supported it, noting that they are in constant conversation about the team. He added that Cora was the best manager to handle the player and coaching staff reaction to such a disruptive move.
“He understands all of the dynamics here and what we’re trying to build here in the short term and the long term,” Breslow said.
The full press availability with Kennedy and Breslow can be viewed here.
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