Was There Specific Tipping Point With Rafael Devers? Craig Breslow Responds

The Rafael Devers trade obviously came as a stunner, but the abrupt timing, Craig Breslow says, is not an indication of a singular tipping point between team and player.

Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday evening in a move that shocked the baseball world. Disagreements between Devers and the Red Sox played out publicly as he reluctantly shifted from third base to designated hitter before rejecting a move to first.

It was a bumpy few months leading up to the trade, but asked Tuesday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” if there was a straw that broke the camel’s back, Breslow insisted there wasn’t.

“There was not a single event that we walked away from thinking, ‘OK this situation needs a resolution today,'” Breslow said. “This was not personal, I think what this was was just a chance to zoom out a little bit and replay all the events that got us to here and recognize that our paths had diverged.

“What was best for the organization – and probably what was best for Raffy – was to give both sides a fresh start. … It wasn’t a single event, it wasn’t a single conversation. It was just recognizing that this was for the best over time.”

The deal landed the Red Sox hard-throwing pitcher Jordan Hicks, who signed as a starter with San Francisco but has had most of his success out of the bullpen. Boston also got lefty pitcher Kyle Harrison, and prospects James Tibbs III and Jose Bello in the deal.

Hicks is hurt and Harrison was sent to Triple-A, so neither will debut for the Sox imminently.