Red Sox-Rafael Devers Conspiracy Attracts Believers, Skeptics

The Boston Red Sox stunned the baseball world on Sunday.

Boston traded superstar slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs, and pitcher Jose Bello.

The move, which shed $250 million of money owed to Devers, came hours after Devers homered in a sweep of the New York Yankees, leaving fans and analysts scrambling for answers.

Amidst the outrage, a conspiracy theory emerged, suggesting that the trade was orchestrated to fund a massive soccer transfer across the Atlantic.

As reported by the New York Post’s Ryan Giancola, “Ringer founder Bill Simmons presented a theory on X about a possible reason for the trade. The owner of the Red Sox, John Henry, also owns the Premier League-winning soccer team Liverpool. Simmons hinted on X that the possible motive behind the trade was to help finance the newest transfer to Liverpool, Florian Wirtz. Liverpool reportedly paid his former club $100 million for the midfielder.”

This theory, expressed by Simmons’s X post featuring a screenshot of Liverpool’s £116 million ($157 million) deal for Wirtz, has ignited fierce debate among Red Sox Nation.

The timing is curious. Liverpool’s record-breaking transfer for the 22-year-old Bayer Leverkusen star was announced days before the Devers trade, prompting fans to connect the dots.

Both teams are owned by Fenway Sports Group (FSG), led by John Henry, whose portfolio also includes the Pittsburgh Penguins and stakes in NASCAR and the PGA Tour.

Skeptics argue the theory doesn’t hold water. Liverpool’s 2024-25 revenue is projected at $885 million, dwarfing the Red Sox’s $574 million, and the club’s Premier League title and Champions League success provide ample funds for transfers. Financial Fair Play rules in soccer further separate Liverpool’s books from FSG’s other assets, making a direct link to Devers’ trade unlikely.

Devers’ strained relationship with Boston’s front office, including his refusal to play first base after Triston Casas’ injury, offers a simpler explanation. His public frustration, culminating in a May 2025 meeting with Henry, suggests the trade was driven by clubhouse tension, not transatlantic finances.

Yet, the conspiracy persists, fueled by FSG’s history of trading Red Sox stars, such as Mookie Betts in 2020 and letting Xander Bogaerts walk in 2022.