He last played for the team 21 years ago, but former Boston Red Sox pitcher-turned-TBS analyst Pedro Martinez remains a prominent voice in the team's sprawling media landscape.

When Martinez weighed in on the Red Sox's still-stunning trade of designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, Boston's fans took notice. The Hall of Fame pitcher mounted a fierce defense of Devers amid recent reporting that painted a picture of a divided Red Sox organization.

"I was shocked (when I heard about the deal), because if you try to sell to me, knowing Raffy Devers, that Raffy is a bad teammate or he's not a team player, you're lying," Martinez said. "You're gonna tell me he's a bad influence in the clubhouse? He's not."

The Devers trade has embarrassed Boston's front office amid an up-and-down year (and decade). The Red Sox traded Devers despite what has become an 8-2 record in their last 10 games, and the team has made the playoffs once since winning the 2018 World Series.

"The thing they mishandled from the get-go... this should've been in the hands of baseball people, not front-office people," Martinez said. "Not leaking it to the media. Not having a back-and-forth with the media, and (manager) Alex (Cora), and (president) Sam Kennedy, and (general manager Craig) Breslow."

More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pedro Martinez Has Harsh Words for Critics of Rafael Devers After Trade to Giants.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate