The Boston Red Sox did the unthinkable Sunday night. After a terse back-and-forth with their superstar player, the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. It was a shocking move considering Devers’ ability and long-term contract.
But maybe MLB fans should have seen it coming all along. The Red Sox haven’t been shy about trading away elite talent in recent seasons. Since 2020, the team has sent Mookie Betts, Chris Sale and Devers packing in separate deals.
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It hasn’t worked out for them. Years removed from trading Betts and Sale, here’s how the Red Sox’s return in each of those deals has performed.
The seismic Mookie Betts trade
The Betts deal was seemingly the moment everything changed for the Red Sox. Betts, a homegrown superstar, was set to be a free agent following the 2020 MLB season, and his long-term future with the Red Sox was looking murky. With the team worried about payroll, Betts and pitcher David Price were shipped out to the Dodgers in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs.
Of that bunch, Verdugo was considered the highest-upside prospect. He entered 2019 as a consensus top-40 prospect, with Baseball Prospectus ranking him in their top-20. He was the most impactful player in the Betts return, hitting .281/.338/.424 over 2,071 plate appearances with the Red Sox from 2020 to 2023. The team let him walk after the 2023 season.
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Wong remains with the club and has carved out a role as a defense-first catcher. He’s hit .249/.307/.387 in five years with the Red Sox. Downs received just 41 plate appearances with the Red Sox, hitting .154 in 2022. He was designated for assignment by the team after the season and hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2023.
After going to the Dodgers, Betts signed a massive 12-year, $365 million contract. He’s hit .282/.370/.518 in his six seasons with the team. He’s finished in the top-5 of MVP voting three times and has helped lead the team to two World Series championships.
Chris Sale’s tenure in Boston was looking shaky when the team traded him away. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
(Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)
Selling low on Sale
After two promising seasons to kick off his Red Sox career, Sale experienced injuries and decline over his final five seasons in Boston. With Sale coming off yet another injury-riddled season, the Red Sox sent him to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Vaughn Grissom in 2023. Boston also sent $17 million to Atlanta to cover a portion…