Whatever one might say about this week’s trade of Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants—and a great deal has already been said—it was a shock. Some saw it as a baseball decision while others analyzed a financial arrangement, and still more focused on the personality clash.

I see it as a monumental failure of communications.

The Red Sox and Communications

I speak not only as a birthright member of Red Sox Nation but as a communications professional who spent years messaging for technology corporations of all sizes. Some of those communications were or could be construed as negative: layoffs: the departure of an executive, a delayed product launch, or a bad earnings report, for example.

The last thing you want to do with such news is drop it and run. Yet that’s what the Red Sox decided to do with the news of this trade, and it was a big mistake. In fact, when it comes to communicating this deal, Red Sox management made three corporate-level public relations mistakes.

Mistake Number One: Positioning the Message

The first was dropping the announcement cold, with no preparation or positioning.

Red Sox management had a choice of ways to position this news. They could have said, in tactful diplomatic language:

• “He was unhappy with us; we were unhappy with him.”
• “He wasn’t a team player, and we only want team players on the roster.”
  (Bill Belichick had no problem saying this about the New England Patriots.)
• “At 0 for 21 when the season started, we had our doubts about his overall performance in the 2025 season.”
• “For $313 million and $254 million to go on his contract, he needed to step up and do what was asked of him.”
• “For the size of his contract, he needed to learn how catch a baseball—and care about not making errors.”
• “A lot of men would happily play first base—or any position—to be in Major League Baseball.

Taking the Red Sox Message to the Public

With the deal in process, you take the desired message out to the sports reporters and baseball bloggers, preparing the ground for the announcement. You don’t have to talk about details of the trade, the other team involved, or what the Red Sox are getting in return. At this point, the message flies at 40,000 feet, not at ground level.

And management puts someone with authority in the interviews, so the press knows the Red Sox not only have an imminent deal, they take it seriously. You don’t delegate these interviews to your communications team to do by themselves.

Management uses the discussions to emphasize the value of the deal to both the team and Red Sox Nation. They talk about what kinds of players they’re looking for in return. In this case, it would be strengthening the bullpen and growing young talent. (Remember, this is positioning, not reality.) Pump up the positive; tone down the negative.

Mistake Number Two: Timing the Announcement

Drop the announcement at the best possible time for the team’s reputation. In this case, the timing could not have been worse.

The Red Sox were improving their performance this year, had just won five in a row and swept a series with perpetual rival New York Yankees. Boston fans don’t get that every day. Management didn’t even give us 24 hours to feel good about beating the Yankees when they stuck a knife between the ribs of Red Sox Nation.

The announcement also came five days before the Red Sox open a series with the Giants. That means a shock to the system when we see Rafi in a Giants uniform on Friday, June 20.

And it happened way out in front of the July 31 trade deadline. Major League Baseball called it, “one of the most stunningly timed trades in team history.” They got that right.

Mistake Number Three: What They’re Getting

A good deal means both sides get something to their advantage and walk away happy. In this case, the Giants got a big player with a big bat for the middle of their lineup and the Red Sox got—what exactly? Here’s the list:

• Relief pitcher Jordan Hicks, currently on the disabled list
• Left-hand pitcher Kyle Harrison
• Outfielder James Tibbs III (Giants No. 4 prospect at the time of the deal)
• Right-hand pitcher Jose Bello.

The Wall Street Journal said the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers for, “a box of Cracker Jack.” One of the local sports reporters said the team got “a bag of Big League Chew and a box of baseballs.”

I doubt this is what Red Sox Management expected or wanted to hear about their big move.

History Was Against the Red Sox

Why did the Red Sox make these three mistakes? Should they have known how to do a more professional job?

Of course. They have a whole communications team, including a Senior VP with crisis management in her bio. She either didn’t prepare them to do the right thing or she did and senior management discounted her advice. It wouldn’t be the first time Big Important Men ignored an expert because of her gender or because they’re richer than the person they employ and think they know best.

The Red Sox also have a track record of pushing their star players out the door to make money, save money, or get rid of a malcontent. This deal, after all, comes in at Number Four in shocks to the system for Red Sox Nation after Babe Ruth (1920), Mookie Betts (2020) and Xander Bogaerts (2022).

Message Between the Lines

My take on the message the Red Sox want to give is this:

“If you want to play at Fenway Park, come as a team player who works hard, does what’s needed, and puts the Red Sox first. We have no room on the roster for personality kids, head cases, one-position players, and privileged stars.”

Not many fans would argue with that. It’s how you communicate it that counts.

The Fight for Third Base

Reading between the lines, I also see a problem looming for the Giants. Rafi Devers, after all, balked at playing any position by third base, which he considered his. But the San Francisco Giants already have a third baseman, Matt Chapman, who knows how to catch a baseball. In fact, he’s pretty good at it. So where does that leave Rafi?

That’s a baseball question, not a communications issue, so I’ll just leave it alone. But stay tuned for more turmoil.

In the meantime, the Red Sox really need to do a good job this year. They don’t need another season of what corporate America calls sub-par performance and negative output, but is known in the baseball world as losing.

One of the new players might make up for the loss of a favorite hitter in Boston but that’s a long shot. And if it happens, it will take a while. I guess we’re in it for the long haul.