The Boston Red Sox made the, um, controversial decision to trade Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, as reported by FanSided’s Robert Murray.

In just year three of a 10-year contract, Devers butted heads with Red Sox brass over poor communication regarding his switch from third base to DH. Rather than mend the relationship and keep a franchise pillar, Boston decided to smash the reset button and bank on Roman Anthony as the new face of the franchise.

To call the Devers trade shocking would be an understatement.

There was plenty of speculation after the Alex Bregman signing and the subsequent rumors of discord, but few actually thought Boston would trade the 28-year-old, especially not while he’s enjoying such a productive campaign.

The Red Sox swept the Yankees over the weekend, which meant spirits were high, right up until the front office yanked the heart out of every Boston fan.

Odds are we won’t see another trade of this magnitude before the trade deadline, but a wise man once said, “Never say never.” Anything can happen in professional sports. Luka Dončić and Rafael Devers were both traded in a span of months. These are weird times. Weird stuff will keep happening.

Here are a few more blockbuster possibilities worth keeping on your radar… just in case.

Braves can swap Chris Sale for a haul before their season bottoms out

The Atlanta Braves are eight games below .500 and still spiraling. This has been a nightmare season — the sort we thought impossible after the suffocating disappointment of 2024.

“They’ll be healthy again!” “There’s no way it can get worse!” How naive we all were. Ronald Acuña’s return has shown fans the light at the end of the tunnel, but despite a loaded roster on paper, something ain’t clicking.

Chris Sale has a club option for next season. The Braves can easily justify sticking it out and running it back next season, perhaps with a few slight tweaks.

The reigning Cy Young winner remains one of the most dominant arms in the National League. He has been on a roll of late, with one or fewer runs allowed in five straight games.

That said, if the Braves smell the roses and decide the end is nigh, trading Sale while his value is at its peak — in his age-36 season, with a lengthy injury history on his ledger — isn’t the worst idea. Starting pitching is always at a premium. Plenty of teams would fall over themselves to get in line for Sale, who could mean the difference between a postseason berth and a World Series victory for the right team.

Orioles could decide to jump ship on Adley Rutschman

Look, emphasis on the world “shocking” in the headline. Most MLB teams can only dream of landing an elite catcher at the front end of his prime. Not long ago, Adley Rutschman was the face of the Baltimore Orioles franchise — the guiding light of a new generation in Camden Yards.

This has been a brutal season for the 27-year-old. It’s probably a little early to panic, but also, his numbers have been on a steady decline since his breakthrough rookie campaign. With a .698 OPS and 102 OPS+, it feels rather bleak right now.

He’s a two-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger, only midway through his fourth MLB season. He’s also under contract through 2027. But, if the Orioles are worried about the trend line and want to hit abort while Rutschman still has lingering appeal around the league… now is the time.

The O’s are 10 games below .500 and while the product has improved of late, they have a steep mountain to climb in the AL East. Most fans would tell you Baltimore should hold fast and embrace the struggle. This is a talented roster that has made the playoffs two years in a row. Former No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday is just starting to find his swing at the MLB level. But if Rutschman can get you a few top-level prospects to replenish the farm system, while opening the door for top prospect Samuel Basallo — a 6-foot-4, 20-year-old catch slugging his way to a .959 OPS in Triple-A this season — then maybe, just maybe, Mike Elias talks himself into a deal.

Pirates really should consider swapping Paul Skenes for the motherlode

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t going to trade Paul Skenes.

But like, shouldn’t they?

He is totally wasted in Pittsburgh, where the front office refuses to spend in free agency or even invest meaningfully in the farm system.

That is a beautiful ballpark and a historic club, but right now, it’s the bleakest organization in baseball. And that’s saying something.

Skenes is the one draw for ticket sales and Bob Nutting loves his money, so we shouldn’t expect a deal to cross the finish line until Skenes has a year (or less) left on his contract and his departure is imminent. That is several years away. But, if the Pirates were to make the NL Cy Young favorite available now — in the pre-arbitration stage of a contract that won’t expire until 2029 — we could see a historic prospects haul routed to PGH.

The Juan Soto trade basically restocked Washington’s farm system and built the entire core in DC. Pittsburgh could experience a similar phenomenon by trading Skenes, especially with so much team control left. Pittsburgh could call up any contender and ask for their top five prospects and probably keep their GM on the phone. Hey Boston, interested in swapping Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer for Paul Skenes? Well… probably. Apply to all 28 other teams. Everybody wants Paul Skenes, and most franchises can put him in a better position to win games. He is 4-6 with a 1.78 ERA through 15 starts, for crying out loud.