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Xander Bogaerts Breaks Silence on Red Sox Trading Rafael Devers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Douglas Santo | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 1:05 PM ET

Since the blockbuster trade that sent Boston Red Sox superstar Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, it feels like everyone around the situation has voiced their opinion.

Devers' long-time teammate and friend Xander Bogaerts broke his silence on the matter, with one of the more peaceful opinions there have been.

Bogaerts first shared how he found out about the news when USA Today's Bob Nightengale showed him on his phone.

"He shows me on his phone: 'Rafael Devers traded.' I was like, 'Nah.' ... Then I hit Devers up and he got back to me right away," Bogaerts told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford.. "The moment he told me is when I knew it was for real. I had texted him, 'Is this true?' And he replied before everybody started (reporting it) ... We didn't know if it was true or not."

Bogaerts and Devers spent six years together with the Red Sox from 2017 to 2022, winning a World Series together in 2018. The two stayed close after Bogaerts signed with the Padres in 2023.

Bogaerts mentioned that he saw what Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz had to say, and credited them as legends of the game and the Red Sox. But, he admitted that he felt like Devers was put in a challenging situation, and he doesn't know what he would've done.

After a year with the Padres, Bogaerts was asked to move positions as well. The Padres asked Bogaerts to move from shortstop, where he'd played almost his entire career, to second base. However, that still allowed Bogaerts to play in the field.

"Similar, but I stayed on the field, though," Bogaerts added. "(Devers) went from being on the field to not being on the field at all, which was something I had never done. "I stayed on the field. That's a whole different thing."

Bogaerts admitted that he was surprised by how the entire situation was handled, but believes everyone will move on.

"I know them because I have been around them for a long time. I was surprised how it all unfolded. Life continues and baseball continues and they made the decision they wanted to make, Bogaerts told Bradford. "He's over there and they are over there and hopefully they are both happy. But it was tough to see for sure."

Bogaerts and the Padres just finished up a heated series with the Dodgers, and Devers and the Giants will welcome the Red Sox to Oracle Park this weekend for the first time the two sides will meet since the trade.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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