Red Sox Cut Ties With Talented 27-Year-Old Lefty After Rafael Devers Stunner

The fallout of the Rafael Devers blockbuster between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants continues.

Just hours after they won their fifth game in a row against the arch-rival New York Yankees to get back over .500, the Red Sox traded their best hitter, seemingly as a result of the four months of turmoil that followed their decision to replace him as the starting third baseman.

In return, the Red Sox got over $250 million in future salary relief and a four-player package--right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, outield prospect James Tibbs, and pitching prospect Jose Bello.

But if you know anything about baseball roster construction, you know that every move has a counter-move. And in this case, because the Giants acquired multiple 40-man roster players, someone else had to pay the price.

According to a report from Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster, the Red Sox are designating left-handed pitcher Zach Penrod for assignment. The 27-year-old, who was injured to begin the season, made seven appearances for the Red Sox in 2024 after making his major league debut in September.

Penrod allowed one earned run in four innings for the Red Sox last September, spanning seven outings. After dealing with elbow soreness this spring, Penrod returned to the minors at the end of May, posting a 4.91 ERA in seven games between the Florida Complex League and Triple-A.

Another team will almost certainly take a shot on Penrod, who was considered a candidate for the Boston bullpen before the injury. He could be traded if a team wants him enough to give the Red Sox cash to skip the waiver wire, or he could be claimed in the next three days.

Obviously, Red Sox fans will pay much closer attention to what Devers does in a Giants uniform than they will to the next few weeks for Penrod. But talent is always tough to part ways with, and assuming Penrod is indeed gone, there's a chance this move could bite Boston in more ways than one.