The Boston Red Sox traded star Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on July 25, 2025, in a franchise-altering move for prospects like Kyle Harrison.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Friday, July 25, 2025 will be a day long remembered in Red Sox Nation, but not for the reasons we expected. While the Dodgers were in town, the biggest bombshell dropped not on the field, but from the front office. In a move that sent shockwaves from Kenmore Square to the far reaches of New England, the Boston Red Sox traded franchise cornerstone and All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
One chapter closes, another begins. The Red Sox are no longer Rafael Devers' team.
It's a sentence that feels wrong to type: Rafael Devers is no longer a Boston Red Sox. The slugging third baseman, a homegrown talent who won a World Series here as a rookie, was dealt to the San Francisco Giants in a stunning deadline deal. The trade signals a clear and decisive pivot from Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, moving a beloved star in his prime to reshape the roster for the future. The emotional sting is real, but the front office is betting that the return will be worth it.
So, what did the Red Sox get for their superstar? The package is significant. Headlining the return is left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, a young arm with high-end potential who is expected to slot directly into the big-league rotation. He's joined by hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks, whose triple-digit fastball will immediately bolster the back end of the bullpen. The Sox also landed two promising prospects in outfielder James Tibbs III and pitcher Jose Bello. This wasn't a salary dump; it was a calculated exchange of a present-day star for a collection of controllable, high-impact talent.
As if the trade news wasn't enough of a gut punch, the on-field product provided little comfort. The Red Sox dropped the series opener to the Dodgers 6-3, largely thanks to a familiar tormentor: Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers' superstar crushed two home runs off starter Brayan Bello, driving in four runs and setting a somber tone for the Fenway faithful. Bello struggled, allowing five runs in 5.1 innings. A 21st homer from Wilyer Abreu and a couple of hits from Ceddanne Rafaela were bright spots, but the offense couldn't climb out of the early hole, snapping a four-game home winning streak.
Trading Devers leaves a massive void in the middle of the order, a problem compounded by other news from the day. The Red Sox were heavily pursuing first baseman Josh Naylor, but were ultimately outbid by the aggressive Seattle Mariners. This leaves Craig Breslow scrambling for offensive help before the deadline. With Devers gone and a top target off the board, the question becomes: how does this team, now 55-50 and in a tight wild card race, plan to score runs consistently down the stretch? The new arms are great, but someone still has to hit.
This was a franchise-altering day. The Red Sox are simultaneously weaker in the short-term lineup but potentially stronger on the mound and deeper in their system. The message from the front office is clear: they are retooling on the fly, aiming to build a more sustainable winner. But with the trade deadline looming and the team still in the playoff hunt, more moves could be on the horizon. The Rafael Devers era is over. The Craig Breslow era has now truly, and controversially, begun.
