10 hours ago 2

Red Sox 'could not find alignment' with Rafael Devers, leading to trade, say execs Craig Breslow, Sam Kennedy

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team president and CEO Sam Kennedy met with reporters over a video call on Monday night to address Sunday's surprising trade of Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.

Both executives emphasized the point that the team "couldn't find alignment" with Devers on his future role and the best direction going forward.

“We worked at it, we had a different vision for him going forward than he had," Kennedy said. "What we felt we needed from him that would be in the best interest of the ball club.”

Breslow explained that Devers and his representation did not formally request a trade. But during conversations regarding a move to designated hitter and a possible position change to first base, Devers' people indicated that perhaps a fresh start elsewhere might be best.

Additionally, Breslow declined to specify whether or not the Red Sox talked to any other MLB teams about a potential Devers trade. However, he indicated that conversations with various front offices provided an idea of what might be attainable in such a deal.