This Yankees-Red Sox Rafael Devers trade package would be Gerrit Cole's dream

The Boston Red Sox trading offensive megastar Rafael Devers simply because they tried to move him off third base, stepped on their own toes 10,000 times, then tried to reinstall him at first base in a time of need sounds like the craziest thing to ever happen. But it also sounds a little less crazy with each passing day. And you know what trade destination probably sounds more appealing to Devers now than it did prior to the season (and the agitation building)? The New York Yankees.

Ok. Fine. It's the long shot of all long shots. Devers defecting in free agency, a la Johnny Damon, is one thing. Craig Breslow and the Boston front office rewarding Devers for his pouty petulance by sending him to their No. 1, minted-in-gold, world-historic rival is quite another.

Still ... still ... the Red Sox clearly don't value Devers on defense any longer, if they ever did. Their interest in the player they willingly signed to a 10-year deal through 2033 is solely as a DH. Perhaps, if the Yankees express interest in trying the slugger as a third baseman for a while, Boston could get wild ideas about sentencing the Yankees to Devers' decline years after already benefitting from his powerful prime. They'd be wrong and foolish to do so, and the next four years of performance will almost definitely outweigh the back end, but ... yeah, it could happen. Sticking the Yankees with an aging albatross could be appealing, especially if that albatross bathed in toxic waste recently.

Ok, so what would it take? Significant overpay. To even get the Red Sox to open their eyes to the possibility. If this were to ever get done, Breslow would have to walk away feeling like he ripped off Brian Cashman — which shouldn't be too hard, based on a brief gaze at his recent transactions. It would be Cashman's job to tilt the offer in Boston's direction while using his intimate knowledge of his own farm to make sure he withheld a few uncovered gems.

Yankees-Red Sox trade package for Rafael Devers would have to lean heavily in Boston's favor

This is ... an impossible task. Devers would be a third baseman in New York for the time it took Giancarlo Stanton's contract to expire (2027). The Yankees would be taking on 8.5 seasons of $31 million each, six of which would likely be spent with Devers in a primary DH role. Nothing about this transaction would block George Lombard Jr., but it would be hard to keep the 19-year-old phenom out of any deal, and the Red Sox would likely be very excited to welcome him to Boston long-term.

Beyond Lombard Jr., the Sox certainly do not need outfielders. They can't even make room for Roman Anthony as it is. The Yankees would be wise to load up this offer with as much pitching as possible, with big-league experience in Luis Gil at the forefront. Add 2024 first-round pick Ben Hess, flamethrower Carlos Lagrange, and maybe even a lower-level lottery ticket in outfielder Francisco Vilorio (future trade bait?), and ... yeah, that's probably the best the Yankees can do.

It'll never happen. And it's a real shame that Devers won't be reaching free agency, because that? That could happen. Sadly, the best news the Yankees will be able to give to a rehabbing Gerrit Cole — even in this hypothetical dreamscape — is a Devers trade out of the American League. If that were to occur, it'd probably be the Dodgers, though, right? So ... still bad. Still scary. Sorry, Gerrit.