Despite losing Rafael Devers to Giants, Red Sox CBO highlights who made success possible

On June 15, arguably the biggest trade took place, as the Boston Red Sox traded star Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello.

In the aftermath of the trade, many experts and fans alike described the trade as a huge mistake on Boston's part, claiming the Giants had clearly ended up on the "winning end" of the deal.

However, the way things have transpired since has proven many wrong. The Red Sox have gone on strong runs after the All-Star break and are currently well placed to make it to the playoffs.

The Giants, on the other hand, who were seen as NL West contenders when Devers arrived, have struggled mightily. Currently, they are third in the NL West, and six games out of a top-three spot in the NL wildcard.

On Thursday's episode of "The Greg Hill Show", Red Sox's Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow commended the players, skipper Alex Cora and the coaching staff for staying focused and proving that the team can still enjoy plenty of success even after letting someone like Devers walk.

"Anytime you look at wins and losses, you have to first give credit to the players, the guys that are on the field and performing, and grinding throught the competition day to day," Breslow said. "Then, a ton of credit goes to the coaching staff and Alex [Cora], because these distractions could easily take away from what we're trying to accomplish on the field, and they didn't.

"Every player in that clubhouse, every staff member came together, recognized that the goal hadn't changed. That was to compete for the division, to make a deep postseason run, and it's a huge credit to all of them that we are where we are today, but there's also still a lot of work left to do." [6:15]

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7 wins in last 8 games takes Red Sox back to the top of the AL wildcard

After enjoying a strong run right after the mid-season break, the Red Sox cooled off a bit, losing three in a row before they headed to the Bronx to take on bitter rivals the New York Yankees.

The latest series between the two powerhouses saw the visitors take three of four, clinching the series.

Boston Red Sox v Baltimore Orioles - Source: Getty

After that, Boston went to Camden Yards to take on the struggling Baltimore Orioles, where they managed to sweep their hosts. With seven wins in their last eight games, the Red Sox are back at the top of the AL wildcard, and are well-positioned to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021.