Before the Boeing 757 lifted off, Red Sox manager Alex Cora approached Devers with a solemn look on his face. Ace Jon Lester wanted to re-sign with the Red Sox, only to get lowballed; he followed Epstein to Chicago. The Red Sox are big-market baseball in a funhouse mirror, a distorted reflection of what could be -- and should be. The Red Sox poached him to replace Chaim Bloom in October 2023 with a specific mandate: Whatever it takes, remake the Red Sox to rekindle the early-century glory days. Winslow Townson/Getty ImagesRAFAEL DEVERS GREW up a Boston Red Sox fan in Samana, Dominican Republic.