The Rafael Devers trade didn’t just mark the departure of an elite hitter from the east coast. It was another indication that Major League Baseball’s supposed best division just isn’t what it used to be.
The American League East primarily built its reputation on the backs of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, who were in a tier by themselves for over 15 years. From 2003 to 2019, the Yankees made the playoffs 13 times, while their rival was close behind with 10.
That success started with strong scouting and solid drafts, which any team can do. How the two franchises separated themselves was the ability to throw a lot of money around to retain talent while simultaneously poaching pricey stars from other teams.
The Yankees still spend — although not at quite the same level as before — but the Red Sox switched gears under the ownership of John Henry. It started in 2020 with the decision to move on from perennial MVP candidate Mookie Betts and continued on Sunday with the trade of Devers and his $250-million-plus (U.S.) contract to the San Francisco Giants.
, the Red Sox had MLB’s highest payroll in 2018, and the following year they were third. Since trading Betts, the Red Sox have only ranked inside the top five once, and after trading Devers they dipped to 19th.
The Red Sox aren’t exactly cheap — they signed Alex Bregman for $120 million over three years and traded for No. 1 starter Garrett Crochet, then extended him for $170 million over six during the off-season — but they are much more budget conscious than before. Fewer resources means less cash to buy players and more concerns about long-term flexibility.
The latest trade — Boston gets pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, plus two prospects — wasn’t entirely about money. The Red Sox did Devers a disservice when they reportedly failed to inform him about the pursuit of Bregman to play third base, the only position Devers had ever known. Devers did further harm to the relationship when he declined to play first after Triston Casas went down with an injury.
Mistakes were made on both sides. But instead of going to marriage counselling, the Red Sox filed for divorce. There’s a financial component to every separation and this one was no different, as general manager Craig Breslow opted to dump a contract that was signed only a couple of years ago, albeit under a different regime.
Maybe that decision will prove wise long term. Even if Devers agrees to play first base in San Francisco — and early indications are that he will — the 28-year-old is a defensive liability. Paying $29.5 million a season for Devers to essentially DH makes sense in his prime; allocating $31 million to $33 million a year until he’s 36 is harder to justify.
The Red Sox of old wouldn’t worry about that, because what would matter more is the present. They would be doing everything in their power to make the current team better, and yet this version is taking a big step back to rid itself of a potential headache and a hefty bill.
The Jays, who enjoyed a day off Monday and therefore had no media availabilities, must be thrilled. Devers single-handedly ended their 2021 campaign when he homered on the final day of the season to clinch a wild card. Across nine seasons in the majors, he has annihilated Jays pitchers with a .307 average, 24 homers and 74 RBIs. This trade means Toronto’s chances of making the playoffs this year, next and maybe more just went up.
The Red Sox and Yankees used to form a two-headed beast in the AL East, but now it’s the Yankees alone at the top, which presents an opportunity.
If Henry isn’t going to support the Red Sox the way Bostonians feel he should, there’s an opening for Rogers Communications to continue to buy some of those wins instead.
The Jays have MLB’s fourth-highest payroll. They pursued Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in back-to-back off-seasons before handing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. $500 million. They were also reportedly among the teams that inquired about Devers, which suggests they intend to continue to spend a lot.
Big payrolls don’t mean everything. The Jays still have very little to show for their big off-season moves — with Anthony Santander and Andrés Giménez leading the group of underperformers — but money has a way of making mistakes seem less severe. The Jays’ trio of José BerrÃos, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt has kept the rotation afloat, while high-priced talents George Springer, Bo Bichette and Guerrero play roles, too. The more of those guys a club has, the larger the margin for error.
The Red Sox should be one of the teams throwing money around, but they are no longer defined by keeping stars such as David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia in one uniform for a long time. Instead, they’re the club that lets franchise players leave for almost nothing in return.
Their loss is Toronto’s gain.
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