Red Sox Drew Interest In Rafael Devers Trade From At Least 3 Other Teams: Report

Not surprisingly, the notion that Rafael Devers could be available piqued the interest of general managers across Major League Baseball.

The Boston Red Sox dealt Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in a blockbuster trade that stunned the entire sport. In exchange, they got four players who either barely contributed to the major league team this year or have yet to debut, plus the relief of not having to pay the rest of Devers' contract.

Devers, 28, is one of the best hitters in the sport. He put up a .905 OPS while starting each of the Red Sox's first 73 games of the season. But the relationship soured with the organization after he was moved off his preferred third base position during spring training, and it evidently could never be repaired.

The swiftness of the Devers trade shocked everyone, as naturally, the Red Sox hadn't told the world he was available. But it turns out the Giants weren't the only team interested in acquiring him.

According to a report from MassLive's Sean McAdam, three other teams were confirmed to have interest in acquiring Devers, though none were as "motivated" as the Giants: the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays.

"The trade came out of nowhere and stunned the industry. There was little evidence the Red Sox had been publicly shopping him around to other teams, though industry sources said other clubs had called in recent weeks, believing that the Red Sox would at least listen to offers," McAdam added.

So why did the Red Sox feel the trade had to be done now? We simply don't have that answer. All we do know, according to McAdam, is that Devers didn't force the deal. He wasn't exactly against the idea, though.

"A source familiar with the situation noted that while Devers had not gone so far as to demand a deal, he had communicated that he’d be OK with one," McAdam reported.

A truly astonishing day in Red Sox history comes to a close, but the ramifications will echo for years to come.