Rafael Devers Trade Looks Far-Fetched After Red Sox Star's Monster Weekend

But here's the thing... it always looked far-fetched

May 17, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) hits a walk off home run against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

In the wild, speculative landscape of 2025 Major League Baseball, and society at large, the idea of the Boston Red Sox trading Rafael Devers might have made sense to a few misguided souls.

Devers has been publicly displeased with the Red Sox on two occasions this season, and that gave opportunists a chance to pounce on the idea of a trade. But we were always talking about a deal that would be completely unprecedented, and Devers is now showing us why.

Last week, Devers earned American League Player of the Week honors, and his numbers were good enough to warrant consideration again this week. He hit his first career walk-off home run on Saturday night, followed it with a grand slam on Sunday, and finished the week with an OPS of 1.164.

This is the kind of hitter Devers has always been. He's the kind that can give you a 1.008 OPS since the start of April after starting the season in a massive slump. And he's the kind that was worth paying $313.5 million over 10 years to remain in Boston, even if the team ultimately didn't think he was capable of sticking at third base.

The idea that Devers would be traded was mildly entertained by national reporters like The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and USA Today's Bob Nightengale. But it was all predicated on the premise that Devers would get so upset with Boston that he would force his way out.

Boston seems to have pulled back on the idea of moving him to first base since he erupted at them 11 days ago for suggesting it. And the fact that they sent principal owner John Henry to meet with him in Kansas City the next day should tell you all you need to know.

Keeping Devers on board with the Red Sox's mission is more important right now than forcing him to move positions to create perfect lineup harmony. Because as his swings have demonstrated over the last two weeks, there's no iteration of this Boston team that's better without him.

And as a side note, don't expect to see any mock trade proposals for Devers from this outlet any time soon.

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