Giants pulling off Dodgers-Mookie Betts 2.0 should officially end Red Sox's respectability as a franchise

On Sunday night, after suffering a series loss to the Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants pulled off a highway robbery at the expense of the Boston Red Sox: they traded two major league pitchers, just one top 10 prospect, and a minor league pitcher for Rafael Devers. Every member of Boston's 2018 World Series team is now gone.

The deal shook MLB, and for Dodgers fans, it immediately recalled the last time the Red Sox suffered a highway robbery of this caliber at the hands of LA. The 2020 blockbuster that sent Mookie Betts to LA is still hard for Red Sox fans to talk about, but this one might supplant it as the most notorious deal in franchise history.

The Dodgers infamously sent Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs in return for Betts (and David Price's contract). Verdugo is batting .255 with a .631 OPS for the Braves; Wong has a career .249 average and .694 OPS with the Red Sox, and Downs is playing in Japan.

This time around, the Red Sox received Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, No. 4 prospect James Tibbs III, and minor league pitcher Jose Bello in return. They already optioned Harrison to Triple-A, and Hicks is injured, has a 6.47 ERA and was recently demoted to San Francisco's bullpen. And, in the process, the Red Sox blatantly disrespected the player who was supposed to be the face of their franchise. How is anyone supposed to take them seriously after that?

Shocking Giants-Red Sox trade recalls Dodgers' 2020 deal for Mookie Betts and sinks Boston's credibility even more

The Red Sox reportedly pulled Devers off of the team plane, set to head out for a series in Seattle against the Mariners, and returned him to Fenway Park in a cab to inform him of the trade. Additional information since FanSided's Robert Murray broke the news has unavoidably forced even non-Red Sox fans to feel sorry for Bostonians; the Red Sox were reportedly in conversations with the Giants for weeks, but it still feels like they got the bare minimum in return.

Despite the heartbreak of the Betts trade, this one might hit even deeper. Betts was nearing free agency and the Red Sox were too cheap to extend him, but Devers was specifically extended to stay in the Boston for the rest of his career.

It's clear that the Red Sox front office has mismanaged this situation from the moment they signed Alex Bregman to a three-year deal that he could still opt out of at the end of this season. The funniest possible thing would be Bregman walking away from the Red Sox after they turn in another mediocre season. Even Red Sox fans would have a hard time faulting him for that.