I think that the Red Sox could trade for the talent to win a Wild Card slot, but that talent will be expensive this month and that they'd be better off selling wisely and gambling on the future. From an owner's profit perspective, games that matter in September are big bucks, so I bet they're not sellers, but they should be. Then why make this trade? 1) Alonso creates a possibility of going into the post-season. He's a fair replacement for Devers in 2024. 2) Baty is hitting .351/.395 /.730 in AAA, and he hit .298 /.388/.625 there last year. This isn't the PCL; it's a pitcher's league. He's got a great future, possibly on a par with Devers's. He just hasn't made the jump--but stand by. 3) I have a nagging feeling that Devers doesn't "fit in" with the team, at least not as the leader they need. 4) One of these springs Devers is going to show up looking like Pablo Sandoval. All that said, I think that the Red Sox will win 82-85 games, missing a wild card berth in the last week. They might get into the playoffs. I'd rather see them making this trade and also trading away Pivetta, Jansen, and Martin, finishing with between 78-82 wins barring some luck, but coming back with Story, Giolito, Hendriks, Casas, Mayer, and a couple of high-caliber free agent starting pitchers in 2025, still at or near the CBT payroll threshold.