Shohei Ohtani brings the heat in return. Plus: All the Rafael Devers trade fallout

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Last night, we saw something we hadn’t in almost 22 months. Elsewhere: The fallout from a trade that’ll reverberate for … years to come.

Welcome to The Windup! We have our own MVP-caliber opener today with Levi Weaver on the IL for the moment. Here’s Ken Rosenthal:

Ken’s Notebook: Big Papi weighs in on Devers deal

Hall of Famer David Ortiz works for the Boston Red Sox as a special assistant to the Fenway Sports Group. But he said his opinion of the Rafael Devers trade is informed more by his 14 years as a player with the Red Sox than his current role with the club.

“I played for the Red Sox a long time,” Ortiz said yesterday. “You think everything with me and the Red Sox was roses and flowers? I went through some tough times also. But I was mature enough to understand and keep things internal. Even in the best families, between the best brothers, s—- happens. You need to have the maturity to resolve the problems and move on.”

Ortiz, 49, experienced occasional turbulence in his contract negotiations with the Red Sox. Some of the squabbles went public, but he ultimately finished his career with the team. In 2017, one year after he retired, the Red Sox signed him to what they described as a “forever” contract, enabling him to play a variety of roles with the club.

Devers, 28, did not resolve his problems with Boston’s front office. And on Sunday, the Red Sox (38-36 after last night’s win against Seattle) made one of the most stunning baseball trades in recent memory, sending Devers to the San Francisco Giants for right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and pitching prospect Jose Bello.

Ortiz, a colleague of mine at Fox Sports, does not consider the Red Sox blameless in the breakdown of their relationship with their best hitter, a homegrown slugger who was in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million extension. But after Devers’ initial resistance to becoming a DH and subsequent refusal to play first base, Ortiz said, “I knew it wasn’t going to end well. There was too much going on, you know?”

In a situation like the one that developed, Ortiz said, the player is not in control. Devers, lacking a no-trade clause, did not even possess the power to influence where the Red Sox might trade him. He has yet to comment on changing coasts, but Ortiz said, “I prefer to play in Boston than freezing-ass San Francisco for the next 10 years.”

“I know the communication between Devers and the Red Sox wasn’t the best at the very beginning,” Ortiz said. “But at some point you have to realize the organization has the power over everyone. They can play you, trade you, let you go. Sometimes as a young player, it’s hard to understand that. But they have the power to do whatever they want. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field.”

More here.

He’s Back: Ohtani hits triple digits in return

A brief break from Devers now to check in on another stunning development: Shohei Ohtani’s first start since August 2023 — and first ever with the Dodgers.

The right-hander hit 100.2 mph with his fastball last night in an abbreviated outing against the Padres, still a dizzying feat for someone who is also the National League home runs leader. His final line: one inning, two hits, one run, no strikeouts. It’s really real:

Great to see Shohei Ohtani back on the mound again! pic.twitter.com/2YIhHcsHGe

— MLB (@MLB) June 17, 2025

Here’s Dodgers beat writer Fabian Ardaya on the scene in Los Angeles:

Ohtani toed the rubber at 7:10 p.m. for his first pitching appearance in a Dodgers uniform. At 7:22 p.m., he completed his first inning, having allowed a pair of softly hit singles and a run on a Manny Machado sacrifice fly. He flashed eye-popping stuff, even if he looked like someone pitching in a big league game for the first time in nearly two years.

By 7:24 p.m., the reigning National League MVP was stepping into the batter’s box to lead off against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease and struck out on seven pitches.

He didn’t even have time to stop in the dugout; his gear was laid out for him on the dirt in front of it. Time is at a premium when you’re trying to do it all.

“To watch this guy start and then take an at-bat, this is bananas,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Oh, and at the plate, Ohtani went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win.

More Ohtani: 

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

The 👀 Quotes: Anonymous officials discuss the trade

Everyone loves a buzzy anonymous quote. We just saw it last week with our anonymous player poll. So, great news: Our staff polled more than two dozen people — managers, coaches, front office executives, scouts and agents — about the Devers trade, and Britt Ghiroli delivered the goods:

• “We got our Luka Dončić trade!” said one American League evaluator, referring to the NBA blockbuster in February. “It should have happened in spring training, but no one saw it coming now. Our group chat was blowing up.”
  
• A veteran agent was mystified as to why Devers’ contract didn’t include a no-trade provision: “On a deal like this and a player like (Devers), you have max leverage. You are going to get almost anything you want. The money is the fight, everything else these teams throw in. For him to not get any kind of no-trade is embarrassing.”
• Said an NL executive: “Look, fans are going to kill them, the media is going to kill them, but if you take a step back and really think about what (the Red Sox) did, it puts a lot of pressure on their young players now, but in a few years I think this trade will be lauded.”

Plenty more comments here. And more trade coverage:

Handshakes and High Fives

While Boston’s off the field moves the past few days have loudly dominated the conversation in the AL East, the Yankees’ powerful offense has suddenly been reduced to a whisper. A brutal 1-0, 11-inning loss to the Angels on Monday extended the team’s scoreless streak to 20 innings and marked the first time they’ve been shut out in consecutive games since August 2023. To make things worse, the Rays have won their past four games, narrowing New York’s division lead to just 2 ½  games. Here’s Brendan Kuty’s dispatch from the Bronx last night.

Has the Yankees’ recent slide impacted their place in the latest MLB Power Rankings? Not as much as you’d think.

After 14 big-league seasons, 36-year-old Drew Pomeranz nearly retired in the middle of the 2024 campaign. Now he’s thriving in the Cubs bullpen.

Just a year ago, Trey Yesavage was pitching in the NCAA Regionals for East Carolina. Now the Blue Jays’ 2024 first-round pick has become one of the fastest risers in his draft class after a promotion to Double A.

Speaking of college pitchers, did you see what Gage Wood did on Monday? The Arkansas junior and likely first-round pick threw the College World Series’ first no-hitter in 65 years, striking out 19! Murray State hitters. Mitch Sherman captures the spectacle here.

And finally, a farewell to former Mets and Cardinals reliever Ron Taylor, who died Monday at 87. Taylor won a World Series ring as a player with both teams and then earned two more while serving as the team doctor for his hometown Toronto Blue Jays for more than 30 years.

Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Kiké Hernández’s support for immigrants amid the Los Angeles ICE raids and protests.

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(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)

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