CC Sabathia proposes Yankees trade target that would turn Red Sox rivalry upside down

We knew that the New York Yankees offense would be in a bad way without Aaron Judge. With the three-time MVP on the shelf and no clear timeline for a return despite some "healing," we're really starting to see how big that void really is. New York's offense is struggling, but during the primetime broadcast on July 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yankees legend CC Sabathia proposed an interesting solution to the club's current offensive woes: Rafael Devers.

Devers is well-known as a Yankee-killer; the twists and turns the Boston Red Sox have taken since dealing Devers to the San Francisco Giants make the move look even worse than it seemed when it was consummated in June of 2025.

Since then, the Red Sox have lost Alex Bregman, who essentially forced Devers out, and then gave away the best parts of the return package they received. They traded away outfield prospect James Tibbs III, who has taken off with the Dodgers, for two months of a mediocre Dustin May, and then in the offseason sent budding ace Kyle Harrison to the Brewers for Caleb Durbin, who's recently looked a bit more heroic. Essentially, they could have turned the Devers debacle into something immediately positive, but botched that transition, too, and took a long road to get to a burst of magic.

The Yankees trading for Rafael Devers would require taking on a massive salary, but it could be worth it

Devers has put together a .243/.311/.472 line on the season, which is a far cry from his career performance and makes it hard to justify his salary, like many of the other Giants trade chips. However, that includes a miserable first month of the season that saw the 29-year-old slash a pitiful .207/.248/.289. Since May 1, he's hit .260/.339/.558 with 18 of his 20 homers coming in this span.

That would certainly play in the middle of New York's Judge-less lineup, and his sweet lefty swing would play like a dream in Yankee Stadium after giving the Yankees nightmares for all those years.

The Yankees desperately need an offensive engine. They were scoring 5.17 runs per game with Judge in the lineup, but since the Captain has been on the IL, that number has fallen to an abysmal 4.05.

Add in the fact that Giancarlo Stanton's calf might never be the same again, and the Yankees have a clear spot to slot Devers in. He could be the primary DH and drive the offense forward in Judge's absence, and when and if the game's best hitter is ready to return this season, the pair could form a deadly tandem in the heart of New York's lineup.

Prospect-wise, it shouldn't cost much to acquire Devers. The former Red Sox slugger is owed $199.5 million over the next seven years, and it's certainly a contract that will end up underwater at some point. Taking on that money will make the cost of acquisition plummet, leaving room for the Yankees to go out and solve other needs, like adding a right-handed-hitting catcher and bullpen help. For now, Devers' resurgence has him as an offensive difference-maker again, and that's enough for the Yankees to strongly consider a deal.

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