While the Red Sox front office kept reiterating that it was a pure baseball trade, the honest truth is that it was a culture trade. They didn’t believe they could win another championship with Devers. They believed he was the wrong guy to be the centerpiece of the franchise. They didn’t think he would become a leader. So, he is gone.

The Boston Red Sox thought they would be better off with a happy clubhouse than a disgruntled Rafael Devers. A day after trading their erstwhile third baseman to the San Francisco Giants, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy told reporters on Monday night that Devers’ refusal to change positions made it untenable for him to remain with the

Boston Red Sox brass on Monday night held a news conference to address the recent surprise and controversial trade of slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The Red Sox on Sunday dealt Devers to the Giants as the centerpiece of a five-player trade that netted Boston some young talent in return and also put the roughly $250 million left on Devers' contract on San Francisco's books.