The Boston Red Sox parted ways with their longest-tenured active player by trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Devers, who signed with the Red Sox as a free agent at the age of 16, spent his entire major league career with the Red Sox from 2017 until Sunday, when he was sent to San Francisco.
The surprising trade took place months after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, who replaced Devers at third base. Devers initially stated that he would only play third base, before later agreeing to serve as the team's designated hitter. Tension re-emerged when the Red Sox asked Devers to play first base following the injury to Triston Casas, which frustrated Devers. Devers remained the team's designated hitter, up until the Red Sox agreed to trade him over the weekend.
Though the end of Devers's tenure in Boston was marred by the rocky end, he had many great moments over his time with the Red Sox, from becoming a three-time MLB All-Star, signing a 10-year, $313.5 million extension with Boston, and winning the World Series in 2018.
Following the trade, Red Sox manager Alex Cora posted a picture of him and Devers after winning the World Series nearly seven years ago, capturing one of the special moments Devers had as part of the franchise. Cora simply captioned the post, "Gracias," and tagged Devers.
As Devers heads to San Francisco, Cora and the Red Sox have to say goodbye to one of their biggest stars in recent years. Devers will see with his former team very soon though, as the Giants are set to face the Red Sox from Friday to Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Cora Had Simple One-Word Message to Rafael Devers After Trade to Giants.