Two days have passed since the Boston Red Sox traded another homegrown star in Rafael Devers, and fans are still trying to sort out pieces of the puzzle. While Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy's comments shed more light on the whole situation and how it unraveled, there are certainly more questions than answers, with fans mostly unhappy with the lackluster return in the trade.
Red Sox fans know the Rafael Devers fiasco has been going on ever since February 15th, when the team made a splash in free agency by signing Alex Bregman to a three-year deal. In multiple instances, Devers put himself before the team, including his refusal to step in and play first base when Triston Casas went down with an injury, and even refusing to DH amid the Bregman signing.
This situation alone shows that you never really know what's going on behind closed doors. Whether it was a lack of communication between Breslow and Devers in the offseason, or the latter being a detriment to the Red Sox clubhouse, what's done is done. Devers is now a San Francisco Giant, as a rocky relationship between him and Red Sox brass ultimately led to his departure in the early stages of a deal that would've kept him in Boston until 2033.
As days pass, more and more information comes out about the Devers situation. One of the most valuable sources in frantic situations like these is the players themselves, teammates who took the field with Raffy day in and day out. For one of the Red Sox vocal leaders, it seems he didn't lose much sleep over the Devers trade news.
Jarren Duran Shares Reaction to Devers Trade News
Upon arriving in Seattle for a three-game series against the Mariners, Duran spoke to Rob Bradford of WEEI, sharing his initial reaction to the Devers trade news, as well as his confidence in the team moving forward. Duran reacted just the way you'd want a leader to, knowing it takes more than one player to win ballgames.
Jarren Duran explained how he found out Rafael Devers was being traded on the team plane and the message from manager Alex Cora during the Macfarlane Energy 2-Minute Grill with @bradfo
— WEEI Red Sox Network (@SoxBooth) June 17, 2025
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/CiOvPp7nUC
Bradford opens by asking if Duran and his Red Sox teammates were "shocked" to hear the news, knowing Devers got off the plane that sent the rest of the team to Seattle.
"I don't have Twitter, so I just saw him get off the plane and kinda just felt like 'oh, no way'. But like I said, it's Rafael Devers, like I was just shocked to see him leave the plane but I mean, I napped most of the plane, so I didn't really have time to think about it. Me and Rob (Refsnyder), we're always the best nappers on the plane, so we were right next to each other, passed out, so we didn't really have that much time to think about it," Duran replied.
Bradford's next question involved Alex Cora and his message to the Red Sox players, where Duran's reply perfectly summed up how certain Red Sox players felt about their disgruntled DH.
"He trusts everybody that we got right now, I mean, I trust everybody we have now and we can't let one little thing deter what we've got going so far."
Bradford replies by saying it could be seen as a "big thing" after losing a hitter of Devers' caliber, where then Duran stays true to his word. The most eye-opening part of the interview comes from Duran's response.
"Who is making it a big thing, though? Yeah, I mean, he's a great player, but at the end of the day, it's how many guys? 26 right? And it's just one guy, so we got 25 other guys that were pulling on the same line to win those series, not just one. So I think we gotta think of it like that, as a team."
Take those comments as you will. Red Sox fans would argue that trading Devers is a "big thing", knowing the team's history in parting ways with both Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, paired with Devers being a staple in Boston's lineup for the past eight years. The trade will be a tough pill to swallow for fans, possibly for a while, but Duran's answers further reiterate the point that Devers' time was coming to an end sooner than expected, either way, in Boston.
Nonetheless, Duran seems to be focused on today, tomorrow, and the future of this Red Sox season with the Rafael Devers trade in the rearview. He's matured as both a player and person after a few previous slip-ups in a Boston uniform, now looking to lead this young Red Sox team by example.