If the Rafael Devers trade has made anything plain, it’s that all is not well behind closed doors at Fenway Park.
The Boston Red Sox traded Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, in a move that stunned Major League Baseball like few things in the 21st century. And of course, it was the second time the Red Sox traded their best player this decade, following the Mookie Betts deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
Of course, two different chief baseball officers made the Devers and Betts trades. Craig Breslow shipped Devers to the Giants, less than two years after he took over for Chaim Bloom, now with the St. Louis Cardinals. The constant in both trades was the lurking presence of owner John Henry.
Henry’s role is especially important because we know that both Breslow and manager Alex Cora have influence with the ownership group, and even before the Devers trade became a possibility, the two disagreed on roster construction strategy this past offseason.
On Monday, journalist Joon Lee, who recently wrote an exposé detailing the power dynamics of the Red Sox in the context of the Devers trade, comprised a thread on X (formerly Twitter) that spelled out Henry’s role in empowering Breslow to make the deal, which saw San Francisco take on the slugger’s entire contract.
“There is a power struggle between Cora and Breslow, and in my interpretation, the Devers trade shows the influence of Breslow with Henry right now,” Lee wrote. “The only thing Henry listens to is the $ going up or down.”
“Henry let go of Chaim Bloom in large part because attendance at Fenway and TV ratings were down. Henry needs Boston’s loyalty towards the Red Sox and tourists visiting Fenway.”
Devers’ deal was the largest in franchise history, so the Red Sox (and Henry) are saving money for the moment since his remaining $255 million is off the books. But what really matters, Lee argues, is whether or not the move impacts the money fans are spending on the team moving forward.
“What the Rafael Devers situation truly revealed though is that regardless of what posture the Red Sox take publicly right now, fans do not trust the team,” Lee wrote. “Regardless of what Breslow or Kennedy say tonight, they do not feel any reason to believe what the team says post-Mookie.”
“There is a very big gap between the fan anger online and the attendance at Fenway. Fans were mad after the Mookie and Xander situations. That didn’t reflect in Fenway Park attendance. Until fan action $$ reflects the anger we see online, I’m not sure how much is going to change.”
It’s not a sunny picture for the fan base. A manager and top executive in conflict, overseen by an owner who only cares about the bottom line. Can that ever truly translate to winning baseball?
