Dumbest detail of Red Sox Rafael Devers trade makes it even sweeter for Yankees

It's official. It wasn't a dream. It really happened. The Boston Red Sox actually swept the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, then almost immediately harshed their own vibes by trading Rafael Devers to fill the DH spot in San Francisco that was supposed to be Arson Judge's to own someday.

Now, Devers will be killing the Yankees for one single annual series (pending the World Series), and the Red Sox will more than likely be parading around Alex Bregman on a panicked long-term pact to void his opt out. Or maybe they won't! Maybe they won't pay anyone. Maybe this was all about saving money for Liverpool's recent Florian Wirtz transfer.

Regardless, this trade was almost certainly about two things: pettiness and cash. The Red Sox have a positional logjam, but based on pure talent, this was the absolute worst way to solve it. No, the reality is that either John Henry got offended by his face-to-face with Devers in Kansas City, or Craig Breslow mucked up the personal side of the position change stuff so badly that he awkwardly decided to pull the plug and control-alt-delete the issue. Or both!

Notably, both Henry and Breslow probably agreed it was the right move to eject the issue (which they'd caused) and pocket the financial flexibility. That's why, once the Giants agreed to move forward and absorb the entirety of Devers' remaining contract, the Red Sox reportedly did not even shop around for a better offer.

Red Sox didn't even shop Rafael Devers before SF Giants trade, were more than happy to clear Yankees enemy's salary off the books

Did they get the pitching help they needed? Kyle Harrison has high upside, but hasn't shown it yet. Jordan Hicks is probably better suited to be a reliever after his rotation transition resulted in middling output — and, folks, he's owed $30 million through 2027 and is currently on the injured list.

Could they have done better in a bidding war? Almost definitely! Red Sox fans are stunned Logan Webb didn't end up in this trade, and while that's a bit hard to fathom ... so is trading Devers in the middle of a hot streak, instead of waiting until after 2025 and taking bids (or even waiting for the deadline)! If this is possible, anything is possible!

Bottom line? The Red Sox went about the wrong thing the wrong way, and there's no reason for Yankees fans to hide their abject glee. The contract heft weighing down the trade package — proving they learned absolutely nothing from the Mookie Betts trade and resulting backlash — is the juiciest part of a wholly delicious apple.