Baltimore just got a new lease on life, courtesy of Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front office.
The Boston Red Sox stunned the baseball world on Sunday evening, trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and a couple prospects.
FanSided’s own Robert Murray broke the news, citing the utter stupefaction of executives league-wide.
BREAKING: Rafael Devers to Giants.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 15, 2025
This came entirely out of left field. We knew there were uncomfortable emotions brewing in the Red Sox clubhouse, but the idea of trading Devers in the middle of his prime — in just the third year of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract — was difficult to fathom.
And now it’s even more so, since the Giants only sacrificed spare parts and bad money.
What does this mean for the Baltimore Orioles? Well, let’s just say the window of opportunity is open.
This has been a nightmare season for the O’s, but with Devers out of the picture, Boston’s postseason odds take a major hit.
Moreover, Baltimore is starting to gain momentum at the exact right moment to take advantage of the sudden decapitation of Boston’s lineup.
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Orioles are in prime position to take advantage of Rafael Devers trade
Baltimore is coming off an impressive series sweep of the Los Angeles Angels.
We don’t need to make out the Angels as some sort of world-beaters, but L.A. has been playing better baseball of late, and there’s real talent on that roster.
The O’s offense is gradually regressing to the mean, positively so. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson both began the season performing well below their usual standards.
Rutschman has five hits, two walks and three runs scored over his last four games.
Henderson has 13 hits over his last eight games, driving in five runs and scoring four. The perennial MVP candidate is starting to look like, well, an MVP candidate again.
Orioles still can’t rest easy after the Rafael Devers trade
Now 30-40 on the season, Baltimore still has plenty of work left to do. This season is by no means salvaged, as the Orioles are dead last in the AL East and 5.5 games behind fourth-place Boston still.
With Alex Bregman due back fairly soon and the Red Sox’ young core taking hold, Boston isn’t a complete pushover.
Devers was far and away their best hitter, though, so we can expect the lineup’s production to decline.
For as much talent as Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer possess, they are all extremely young and, as such, still extremely volatile. Boston cannot count on consistent star-level production from any of their “big three” prospects — yet.
Baltimore’s rotation is starting to come around. Charlie Morton has rebounded from a catastrophic start to the campaign to look more like his old self.
Zach Eflin is slowly creeping toward his usual output. The bullpen is solid. We have seen teams start the season in a deep hole, only to rally around the All-Star break and finish on a heater. Baltimore’s roster has never lacked for talent.
What comes next should be simple: an aggressive trade deadline approach. Mike Elias still has not recovered from a disastrous offseason.
His reputation is in the dumps. He can salvage it a little bit — and perhaps restore faith in this new era of O’s baseball — with a few timely upgrades before the July 31 deadline. If the Red Sox are falling off, then now is when Baltimore should put pedal to the metal.
