Phillies Favored To Land $313 Million Rafael Devers In Franchise-Altering Trade

The Boston Red Sox are facing a bit of a dilemma this offseason. They have two third basemen, Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman, while only one can play the hot corner.

Boston has reportedly wanted to move Devers to slot in as the designated hitter, but the $313 million star voiced his reluctance to accept that move.

While this situation will likely end with a clean resolution, there’s a world where Devers absolutely refuses to DH and ends up demanding a trade out of Boston.

If Devers ends up on the trade block, Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer predicted the Philadelphia Phillies could emerge as a potential landing spot and it makes quite a bit of sense. Rymer even pitched a hypothetical trade that would send Devers to Philadelphia.

Here’s the full deal pitched by Rymer:

• Philadelphia Phillies receive: 3B Rafael Devers
• Boston Red Sox receive: RF Nick Castellanos, 3B Alec Bohm, SS Aidan Miller (Phillies No. 3 prospect)

“Castellanos is a frustrating hitter, but the Red Sox would stand to at least get good power out of him as a primary DH and occasional right fielder,” Rymer wrote. “As for Bohm, the Red Sox could turn him into a super-utility type to use primarily against lefties. He has a .870 OPS against them for his career, compared to a .693 OPS vs. righties.

“If they’re going to have Devers and Trea Turner next to each other in the long term, there wouldn’t be much cause for the Phillies to hold on to Miller. In Boston’s system, he would profile as either a bat-first shortstop or a well-rounded third baseman.”

Of all the hypothetical trade packages I’ve seen, this one makes the most sense. While it still seems a bit far-fetched, it’s closer to being an acceptable deal for both sides.

The Red Sox wouldn’t be taking a massive step back by losing Devers. If Miller pans out, this is the kind of trade that Boston fans might not see as a huge loss, especially if the Red Sox are handcuffed to trade Devers if he demands his way out.

Boston would land a win-now bat in Castellanos as well as an All-Star infielder to fill Devers’ role in the lineup.

The Phillies would, very obviously, be OK with this trade. They’ve been rumored to be shopping both Bohm and Castellanos, so trading the pair alongside Miller for Devers is a no-brainer.

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