Guardians' playoff path just got juiced up after Red Sox' self-inflicted wound

There are some transactions that make you stop in your tracks. The Red Sox trade of Rafael Devers yesterday was one of them. 

While there were plenty of rumblings about Devers throughout the season due to his lack of a desire to move off third base (then his lack of desire to be the team’s designated hitter… then his lack of desire to move to first base), but everyone assumed the Red Sox and Devers would play nice considering his immense talent (and the eight remaining years on his contract). 

The exact opposite happened, in fact, as the Red Sox traded Devers to the Giants on Sunday for a bit of an underwhelming return. And the Guardians front office should be celebrating.

Guardians' playoff path just got juiced up after Red Sox' self-inflicted wound

After being swept by the Mariners in Seattle over the weekend, the Guardians currently sit at 35-35 on the season. They’re chasing the Twins and Tigers in the division race and three teams in the Wild Card race — the Red Sox being one of them. 

Boston was riding high on Sunday thanks to an 2-0 win over the Yankees that finished off a series sweep at Fenway. 

Now all those good vibes have gone by the wayside thanks to Devers’ trade. Sure, he may have been a malcontent for most of the year, but he’s still one of the ten-best hitters in all of baseball. Trading him doesn’t make them a better team. And it’s not like their return was eye-popping. 

While Kyle Harrison is an intriguing arm the Giants have been high on, he’s spent most of the year in Triple-A and Boston has already announced that he’ll be optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

They also got Jordan Hicks, who started his career in the bullpen with the Cardinals before the Giants tried (and failed) to convert him into a starter. He’s currently on the injured list. 

And maybe prospects James Tibbs and Jose Bello end up becoming All-Stars. That doesn’t help the Red Sox this year. 

The Red Sox already took two out of three from the Guardians earlier this year in a series where Devers hit .385 with two home runs and five runs scored.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering Devers is a career .350 hitter at Progressive Field. He’s hit nine home runs in just 24 games. 

The Guardians will now have to face off against the Devers and the Giants in a three-game series starting on Tuesday, but they’ll get to leave him on the other side of the country afterward. 

Simply put, the Red Sox are a worse team today than they were yesterday, and that’s good news for the Guardians. Not only does it mean that the Red Sox will be less of a worry in this year’s postseason race, but it also means that they could be a little less dangerous in the near-future. 

And that should be music to the Guardians’ ears.