The Boston Red Sox have already traded away one key player in Rafael Devers. They could cut ties with an elite pitcher if they fall out of contention.

Rafael Devers era ended the same way as the last five days of the Devers era: with a win. The Red Sox shut out out the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Monday night (BOS 2, SEA 0), one day after the stunner of a trade that sent Devers to the San Francisco Giants for four players and salary relief.

The move came as a shock to Red Sox fans still salty over the salary dump of Mookie Betts in February 2020 — after he won the 2018 AL MVP award — in a trade that yielded little in return. The team also let Xander Bogaerts leave as a free agent before deciding Devers was the player they were willing to invest in.