The ESPN journalist and analyst, Luis Alfredo Álvarez, spoke out against the Boston Red Sox after the surprising trade of the Dominican Rafael Devers Calcaño, who was sent, a few days ago, to the San Francisco Giants.
“In another example of the lack of loyalty of the Boston Red Sox, they get rid of another face, in this case another “Carita” of the franchise. And by formalizing the exchange that takes Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for four players, three young prospects, plus Jordan Hicks, former prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals, this controversy of dishonesty has been raised, and there is a lot of discontent from the fan base,” he said.
The transaction generated a wave of reactions. The former Boston player and Hall of Famer, David Ortiz, commented: “The problems of the Red Sox and Devers were due to the lack of communication. He is a tremendous young man, who, as you know, I got involved in his case and fought with the organization, but then things got complicated from there.”
For his part, Manny Ramírez, one of the most outstanding hitters in the history of MLB, expressed: “Devers was humiliated (by the Red Sox). It’s not a matter of pride or ego. I think the team didn’t respect him or communicate well with him. I’m sure Roger Clemens wouldn’t have been treated that way. I don’t imagine the Yankees telling Aaron Judge: now we’re going to move you to catcher.”
The journalist Enrique Rojas, also from ESPN, considered that the organization only found a way out to resolve the impasse: the exchange.
BOSTON AND ITS HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIAL TRADES:
Anthony Castrovince, of MLB.com, recalled that on December 26, 1919, the Red Sox made one of the most controversial decisions in baseball history by selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Ruth sought to double his salary and the owner Harry Frazee needed money to produce a play, which motivated the trade for $100,000.
In the 21st century, other controversial movements marked the history of the club. Nomar Garciaparra was traded in the middle of his career for the division title, which led to the 2004 championship. Manny Ramírez was transferred in 2008 after internal conflicts, and Jason Bay took his place, almost leading the team to another World Series.
In 2012, a massive trade with the Dodgers allowed Boston to get rid of $250 million in salaries, which facilitated a restructuring and the 2013 title.
Ian Browne, of MLB.com, reported that the Devers trade took place shortly after he hit his 215th home run and his 500th extra base, numbers that make him a solid candidate for the Hall of Fame.
“That takes us to the madness of Sunday, when the Dominican star pitcher Rafael Devers, just a few hours after shaking the 215th home run of his career and the 500th extra base of his career, was sent to the Giants in exchange for the right Jordan Hicks, the lefty Kyle Harrison and two prospects in the outfielder James Tibbs III (No. 4 of San Francisco at the time of the trade) and the right-handed José Bello“, added Browne.
KENNEDY AND BRESLOW SPEAK ABOUT “THE TIPPING POINT” THAT LED TO THE DEVERS TRADE
Although the impressive trade of the Dominican Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday will help the Red Sox focus on their young core, headed by the “Three Greats” Roman Anthony, the Mexican Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell, the Boston baseball operations director, Craig Breslow, wanted to make one thing clear.
“It’s worth noting that this in no way means we’re waving the white flag for 2025,” Breslow said before the game on Monday in Seattle. “We’re just as committed as we were six months ago to putting a winning team on the field, competing for the division and having a long postseason run.”
Image credits: n.com.do
